Her Dark Enchantment
by katyedavis
Summary: She was Tom Riddle's dangerously beautiful secret that he kept hidden away from the rest of the world. She knew secrets about him and held secrets of her own. When the trio come in search of her, they realize that she could help them defeat Voldemort. However, what does she know that could potentially take him down? Love.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, I decided to start her story earlier instead of trying to finish Bar Elate first since I mentioned Charlotte. Charlotte is a big character in the story of Dark Enchantment and Bar Elate. There may even be a third story dealing with Charlotte so I figured that it would be best to go ahead and introduce her. If you haven't started reading Bar Elate yet then PLEASE go check it out

Chapter 1

It wasn't anything like Harry had imagined it would be. It was smaller. This wasn't what Dumbledore described in his letter that he had left behind for Harry.

"Is this it?" Ron questioned, pointing at the small cottage in the middle of a clearing.

"This looks like a house out of Beauty and The Beast," Hermione commented, earning a strange look from Ron.

"Out of what?" He questioned.

"You know, the fairytale from...oh never mind," Hermione said, brushing it off.

"This wasn't what I pictured..." Harry said.

He imagined some huge castle with moats and guards that surrounded a good portion of the French alps. He didn't think it would be a small cottage in the clearing of one of the most forbidden parts of the forest. It was surrounded by pink flowers, willow trees, and he could make out the variants of a stream running behind the house. When Dumbledore wrote that he would be visiting one of the most dangerous enchantresses of all time, he expected bigger things. Scary even.

"Well, he did say that she would help us...not harm us," Hermione said, placing a hand on his shoulders.

They began to walk forward but as soon as they did, a force field sent them flying backwards. A mix of shock and fear passed through each of their faces when they realized that they had been sent back a good hundred feet.

"Oi, what gives!" Ron shouted, attempting to stand while coughing from the impact.

"I guess they have to keep the most dangerous enchantress barred in her own home," Hermione said, dusting off the dirt.

When she said that, the door to the cottage opened and out stepped a woman who looked no older than twenty-five. Her dark red hair cascaded over one shoulder and Harry could see how blue her eyes were from his spot on the ground. She looked curious and started walking to the edge of the cottage where the force field had sent them back.

"James?!" She shouted, waving them over.

Harry motioned for the others to follow him after he had heard her call him by his father's name.

"James, oh it's so good to know you're alive. I thought for sure he had killed you," she said, a smile gracing her face flawless face and happiness reaching every corner of her brilliantly blue eyes.

"N-no...are you talking about James Potter?" Harry questioned, watching her eyes grow sad in the process.

"Y-yes...I'm sorry, I must have been having delusions," she said, putting a hand to her forehead.

"Well, actually, this is James's son...Harry Potter," Hermione said, pushing Harry closer to the beautiful girl standing before them.

"Yes, I can tell. You know, you look-"

"So much like my father?" Harry questioned, a small smile growing on his face.

"Yes. And you have your-"

"Mother's eyes?" He asked.

She nodded with a small, but sad, smile before offering for them to come through the force field but Harry just shook his head.

"Are you Charlotte Lightheart?" Harry questioned.

"I am," she said, turning back towards the beginning of the force field.

"Dumbledore told us that you could help us...with the defeat of Lord Voldemort," he said.

Her eyes widened in surprise while she looked around outside of the force field for any other signs of movement.

"Is Dumbledore...?" She questioned quietly.

"Yes," Ron answered behind Harry.

"If you utter the incantation found at the bottom of his letter and point your wand right here," she pointed to the center of the force field.

"You'll be able to enter. Safe from harm for at least three days. Then you must leave...he may very well find you here," she instructed backing up towards the entrance to her cottage.

Harry did as he was told and then a small clicking had sounded throughout the entire force field that allowed all three to enter quickly and have the force field reposition itself to lock them inside.

"It is good to finally get to meet you," she said, holding out her hand for him to take but she thought better of it and went in for a hug.

He didn't really know how to react to her hug so he did what he knew to do, not react at all. Charlotte knew that he had no clue who she was. How could he? His father didn't tell him and Dumbledore probably took the safe route and wrote as little as possible.

"So, your appearance today has told me that Voldemort is back?" She questioned the trio who looked incredibly tired.

"Unfortunately, we have to figure out these horcruxes before we have any hope of defeating him."

Charlotte looked from each person in the trio and then her eyes caught sight of the lightning bolt on top of Harry's forehead. Fear shot through her entire body because she knew exactly what that meant. She wasn't scared for her but she was scared for him.

"You three must be exhausted. Have you eaten today?" She questioned already making her mind up to fix them the largest dinner of their life.

They shook their heads and she could see that Hermione was starting to get a little woozy. Charlotte held up her finger and went around to the side of her house to grab a milk flower that she had been growing for the past year. It was highly nutritious and it would help with the consumption of food if it was something they hadn't had in quite a while. She handed the flower to Hermione who took it from her gently.

"I haven't seen a milk flower in years…these used to grow in the forbidden forest but I haven't seen them since…" Hermione said, taking a sip of the sweet goodness.

Hermione felt her mind be placed at ease while she sipped on this flower and felt less like she was going to pass out from hunger. Charlotte smiled and motioned for them to follow her.

"Well, come inside. Make yourself at home!" She said, letting them take in the sight of her cottage

The cottage was quite larger on the inside than it looked on the outside but still it was nothing that Harry expected. It was a very humble and simple interior that made him feel warm and welcome. The living room was humbled by tree stump end tables and a couch that looked comfier than any bed he had ever seen. There were flowers all over the house. The kitchen was what shocked him the most. It was a simple wooden dining table made to fit about four. The counter space was filled with food that looked freshly cooked but even the food looked simple and inviting.

"How did you get this done so fast?" Hermione questioned, marveling at the food and the interior of the cottage.

"Oh, I'll show you. I didn't know what kind of dessert you kids would eat so what is something that you want?" She questioned, looking at the trio.

"Um…strawberry shortcake?" Ron questioned.

"Coming right up," She said smiling as she waved her hands over a platter and a fresh plate of Strawberry Shortcake appeared atop the platter.

She waved her hands in the air to make several plates appear as well as cups and silverware. The trio had their mouths open so wide that a fly could have been caught. They had never seen this kind of magic that didn't involve charms or hexes. Even some hexes required a wand.

After they had practically filled their stomachs with some of the best food they had ever tasted, Charlotte filled their cups with milk and shooed them off to get showered and changed.

"There are two bathrooms so one of you will have to wait but that's just as well. I have to make a sleeping place for you lot here," She said, waving her hand around the living room to clear it and start creating some extremely comfy beds for them to lay on.

"Why couldn't we have stayed with her while we were searching for horcruxes?" Ron questioned as the trio made their way up the stairs.

-XOX-

Harry couldn't sleep like his friends and he just found himself sitting awake on the extraordinarily comfy bed that Charlotte had made them. He had never felt safer but still he had so many questions for her…

"Harry, is something wrong?" Charlotte whispered, leaning on the doorway with a cup of tea in her hand.

"I just have so many-"

"Questions?" Charlotte finished.

Harry nodded and Charlotte took a seat on the chair in the corner close to Harry's bed and took a sip of her tea. Charlotte had so much she wanted to tell him but if she told him everything at first then he would be confused. She would have to give the backstory…which is something she was expecting to do anyway.

"If you're anything like your father then you are curious. I can answer two questions for the time being," Charlotte said, allotting him a couple of questions.

"How do you know Lord Voldemort?" Harry questioned.

"Our story is quite long with how we met but it wasn't until my fifth year at Hogwarts that I really took notice that he was even there. I knew him as Tom, though. This Lord Voldemort person doesn't exist to me. He's a completely different person…but I am proof that he could love and be loved in return," She said, saving the rest for tomorrow.

"How did you know my father?" Harry asked.

She was struck more seriously by this question because she didn't know how to tell him. She didn't know how to tell him anything of the past. She didn't know how he would react and if he reacted harshly then she didn't know if she would ever forgive herself. Since most of them were dead because of her…

"I knew your grandfather. He attended school with me as well…" She said, hoping that he wouldn't ask her another question.

However, if he's anything like his father then he would try to push the limits and ask more questions than what she had offered to him.

"Can I ask one more question?" Harry piped in.

She was completely right about him being just like his dad.

"Only one more and then it's off to bed with you," She said, laughing lightly as she sipped her tea.

"How old are you…really?" Harry asked, almost afraid to ask the question.

"I stopped aging at 25 but I'm really 72…being an enchantress has its perks. I can't die," She told him before standing up and pushing several pieces of black hair down onto his head.

It may not have put his mind to rest but it settled him for the time being. She was growing more and more afraid to tell him the truth because of the way things were. If he knew the truth behind the games that Tom played in her mind then he might be sympathetic but he could also fly off the handle. She had to tell him everything tomorrow…or he may never defeat the wretched creature called, Voldemort.

A/N: You are going to be confused with the beginnings of this story. I promise it gets better the faster you get to know her. Meanwhile, go check out Bar Elate but it may have some spoilers ;)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Welcome to the beginning of learning about Charlotte Lightheart. If you've read Bar Elate and are curious then you've come to the right place and if you haven't read Bar Elate then…welcome! Okay, so I said I was going to go full force into this story so that you can get to know Charlotte and all the demons that made her the Dark Enchantment. Every chapter from here until the last six will be flashbacks. Onward!

Chapter 2

_1941_

Charlotte yawned and stretched as she sat up from her bed. She looked around at the disastrously cluttered room that belonged to her and her older sister, Delilah. Her room was surprisingly dim minus the single strand of sunlight that managed to flutter through her curtains. There was something she noticed…Delilah wasn't in the room with her.

"Charlotte, breakfast!" Charlotte heard her mother shout up the steps.

Charlotte's eyes widened in horror the moment she remembered what day it was. Her first day back at Hogwarts. She bolted from her bed and started stuffing things in her practically empty trunk with no rhyme or reason for why she needed such things that she had been piling in it.

"Charlotte!" Her mother shouted once more.

Charlotte had barely gotten the toothbrush out of her mouth before realizing her appearance wasn't anything that her mother would have approved her. Her untamed wavy brown hair fell past her shoulders, she forgot to put on stockings, and she knew the first thing her mom would notice was that she didn't powder her nose to hide her freckles or wear a hat to preserve the youth in her face. Although, she always reminded her mother that once she turned 25 her aging would stop but her mother would argue, as all mothers do.

Charlotte straightened out her red sundress and closed her dangerously full trunk before waving her hand around the room to straighten up everything that was left. That was one letter she didn't wish to receive tomorrow morning from her mother.

"Charlotte, don't make me count!" Her mother's voice boomed up the stairs.

"I'm coming!" Charlotte shouted, slamming her bedroom behind her and practically flying down the stairs.

The sight of her sisters close to finishing their breakfast made her groan inwardly. That meant that Charlotte would have to spend even more unwanted time with her mother than she had originally planned.

"Charlotte, there you are…my goodness darling, did you forget to powder that nose of yours?" Mrs. Lightheart questioned, with her hand sitting dangerously on her hip.

"I didn't forget…I just chose not to," Charlotte said, sliding safely into her chair before her mother's eyes burned her alive.

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to fix that on the ride to the train station," She said, setting a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Charlotte.

"Although, she may have to put on some stockings before she leaves the house. She could powder her nose then," Delilah, Charlotte's eldest sister, snickered at the table.

Charlotte glared at her sister while shoveling eggs in her mouth.

"Thanks for waking me up this morning, by the way," Charlotte said sarcastically.

"Eat with your mouth closed!" Her mother scolded.

"Not my job," Delilah whispered with a smile, finishing off her orange juice.

"My darling, you need to put your hair up in a bun. It's very unladylike to wear it down in such a manner…it's positively risqué" Her mother commented, sitting down at the table with her coffee in her hand.

"Yes, what would Andrew Potter think of this style you've adapted?" Delilah questioned.

"Andrew Potter? Is he that boy you've been cavorting with since your first day at Hogwarts?" Her mother asked.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and inwardly wondered if she was to be criticized this much at the breakfast table once she made it to school. She doubted she would but it never hurts to skip breakfast.

"I would hardly say cavorting…" Charlotte defended.

"That's not what everyone else says," Holly, Charlotte's youngest sister, piped up.

"Well, regardless of what everyone else says, we don't cavort. We are best friends. He's too far up Blythe Jacobs arse to be into someone like me," Charlotte said, laying her napkin on the table that she had removed from her lap.

"Language young lady!" Her mother shouted.

Charlotte was always the one that her parents expected to act out and rebel against everyone else's nature and they were right to think that. Charlotte was the free spirit. She listened to nobody's rules but her own and she preferred it that way.

"Well, as much fun as this breakfast was, I do believe that I should find my sun hat before I become all wrinkled," Delilah commented, winking at Charlotte before standing up.

Delilah was the sister that remained as straight as a pin. She was Head Girl at Hogwarts, top grades in every subject, ironed robes, and a boyfriend almost too perfect for the world to handle. Nothing could get in the way of the golden child. Not to mention, she enjoyed getting Charlotte in as much trouble as she could almost as much as she enjoyed saving Charlotte from it.

"That reminds me! Once you've powdered that nose and fixed your hair, I have a brown hat that would look marvelous paired with that atrociously bright red dress of yours," Her mother said.

"Brown clashes with my hair," Charlotte argued.

"Fine, then the tan one," Her mother waved off.

"I hate tan," Charlotte said.

"You're not leaving this house without a hat and that's that," Her mother scolded.

"I think she'd look better with the navy hat…" Holly said innocently.

Holly was the youngest and the sweetest of them all as described by her blonde hair and pink ribbons. She couldn't hurt a fly and she wouldn't want to. She loved too easily and far too deeply to be anything of innocent in her world. She was Charlotte's favorite ally and the best secret keeper in the world. Charlotte couldn't help but smile in her direction.

"Then it's settled, you'll wear my navy sunhat," Her mother said.

Charlotte just rolled her eyes and excused herself from the table to fetch her trunk before her mother drove her insane.

-XOX-

The train station was in its usual hustle and bustle state but Charlotte barely paid attention to it. In fact, the only thing she could pay attention to was the constant itching that she received from the horrendous stockings that covered her legs. Her mother had finally worn her down to the point where she was forced to wear a peacoat over her sundress, overly powder her nose, stuff herself into some stockings, and a navy hat that Holly had been right to suggest for her.

"Quit itching! It looks terribly unladylike," Delilah whispered.

"You forget that I don't care what people think of my appearance," Charlotte answered, holding onto her navy hat to make sure the wind didn't knock it off.

"Maybe you should start. You'll never find a husband with attitude," Delilah scolded.

"I'm fifteen! I'm not going to find a husband at my again and I'm not looking. Just because you found the perfect man at seventeen doesn't mean that I have to,"

It was true that Delilah was in her last year at Hogwarts and already planning a wedding that hasn't even been solidified yet. Her boyfriend, Garrett Pilgrim, hasn't even asked her yet and Charlotte doubted that he would until they were at least twenty.

"Fair enough…but that doesn't mean you can't make them want you," Delilah said, winking at Charlotte before pushing her cart ahead.

Once they were in the train station, Charlotte scanned the busy dock for her friends but couldn't see them. She turned rather hastily to begin boarding the train but ran straight into someone. This someone was someone who could change her life forever. Her navy hat had fallen to the floor and her brown hair scattered over her shoulders along with the majority of her cart. The poor boy that she had run into was scowling with the fact that they had run into each other and caused quite a mess. Charlotte caught his eye when he had finally looked up to meet her gaze and his scowl vanished immediately. It wasn't replaced with any other emotion. His face remained blank. His dark eyes scanned her face but he didn't speak.

"I'm very sorry…" She motioned for him to give her his name.

He was about to speak before he was cut off immediately by a wand to his throat.

"You should watch where you're going, Riddle," Andrew Potter spat, pulling Charlotte up from her position on the concrete.

"Bugger off," He practically hissed, pushing past them both with his cart that hadn't managed to tip over like Charlotte's.

Charlotte just watched him stalk away and turned back to Andrew to scold him for being rude to him. After all, it was she that ran into him not vice versa but she never got the chance. She was swept up into a strong hug and practically forgot about the incident with her cart and…Riddle. She felt like she had heard that last name before but she couldn't figure it out.

"How was your summer, Lightheart?" Andrew asked, handing her the navy hat that had fallen off.

"Fantastically boring and yours?" Charlotte questioned, smiling up at him.

"Same," He said before he was interrupted.

"If you call season tickets to see the Wimbourne Wasps play in the European cup boring then yeah, his summer was completely lame!" Charles Weasley, Andrew's best friend, shouted as he came up behind them.

"Season tickets and I wasn't invited? For shame, Potter," Charlotte flirted before walking away from them both.

"Next time, I might invite you to see the Chudley Cannons," Andrew called behind her.

"I'll hold you to it. Be a dear and take my cart to the loading station and I'll save us a seat in the train," She said, winking at them.

Charlotte waited patiently for her sister Holly to finish saying goodbye to their mother so that she could pick a compartment before they all filled up. To Charlotte's dismay, her mother pulled her in for a hug and then demanded that Charlotte fix her hair in the hat that they had spent so much time fixing before they left the house that morning. Charlotte didn't argue for once. A quick kiss and a snake squeeze of a hug left Charlotte scurrying towards the train with her little sister in toe. The moment that Charlotte stepped inside the train, she removed her peacoat and threw it out the nearest window before her mother could see what she had done.

"Charlotte!" Holly shouted, pleasantly surprised rather than irritated.

"Yes?"

"You can't just toss your coat like that!" Holly said, watching her sister remove the stockings she had on while searching for an empty compartment.

It wouldn't be long before the train hallway would be filled with Charlotte's unwanted clothing but the one thing she didn't remove was the navy hat from her head. She was saving that. The train whistled that it was going to be taking off in a moment and Charlotte took that opportunity to open the window and look out to see where her friends were.

"Charlotte! Where is that peacoat?!" Her mother demanded, coming towards the train compartment window.

"Oh, um…it must have fallen off," Charlotte lied, knowing good and well that her mother was getting angry.

At that moment, Andrew and Charles had walked into the compartment and taken a seat.

"Charlotte Elizabeth Lightheart, you go back and put that coat on right now!" Her mother shouted as the train started to take off.

"I'm sorry, what? I couldn't hear you!" Charlotte shouted, trying her best not to smile.

"GO PUT YOUR COAT ON!" She shouted but at that moment the train pushed back wind that caused Charlotte's navy hat to fly off of her head and her hair to fly freely within the wind.

Charlotte knew that she would get a howler in the morning but she didn't care. To feel this free again was worth it and to feel Andrew Potter's hand on her arm was also worth it.

-XOX-

"Good to know you managed to pack your robes," Charles laughed as they prepared to leave the train to grab a carriage into Hogwarts.

"I'm quite impressed with it myself, actually," Charlotte laughed, roughing her sister's hair.

"It's your third year, isn't it?" Andrew asked Holly.

She nodded shyly but she couldn't help but smile when he flashed her his award winning grin at her. Andrew was quite the celebrity at Hogwarts and it wasn't for his looks alone. His green eyes may cut a new hole in every girl's heart but he was smart as a whip. He could play Quidditch with the best of them and longed to play professionally. Charlotte often told him that he was too smart to play it professionally and encouraged him to study other things…despite how handsome she thought he looked in his Gryffindor uniform with his broom.

"She's catching up rather quickly, I do believe," Charles said.

"It's a shame that she placed in Ravenclaw…we could use her sharp wit this year," Andrew said, smiling again at Holly.

"What are you on about? Gryffindor has loads of smarts! They have us!" Charlotte shouted.

"True but…Charlotte look out!" Andrew shouted but it was too late.

Charlotte had started to tumble off the steps from the train but two surprisingly strong arms caught her before she could hit the ground. When she focused in on who had caught her…she was slightly surprised herself. His dark eyes pierced her bright blue ones and she recognized him immediately.

"Riddle?" She questioned, staring at him strangely handsome face.

She said strangely because she couldn't quite figure out if he was handsome or if he was just handsome because he managed to catch her before she collapsed on the pavement. Even though she had referred to him by his surname, his face remained unchanged.

"Tom," He corrected.

"Excuse me?" She questioned, admiring the sound of his voice.

Again, she wasn't quite sure why.

"Tom Riddle. That's my name," He said, his voice was tense and full of something that she couldn't quite identify.

She was more impressed with the mystery of this man rather than the effect that he seemed to hold over her. She was curious…more curious than she should have been at that time.

"Is this a form of an apology?" Charlotte asked, flashing her best flirtatious smile.

She was accustomed to wooing men with her flirtatious nature and getting everything she wanted but she was more surprised when it didn't work on him. In fact, it shocked her.

"I never apologize, I simply get even," He said, standing her upright.

"So this is getting even?" Charlotte whispered.

"Oy, Riddle! Don't you have somewhere to be?" Andrew shouted, giving him a glare fit to kill.

Still, Tom didn't take his eyes or his arms away from Charlotte until he caught himself in the act. He let Charlotte go immediately and didn't answer her question. Instead, he looked back at her and hurried away from them as fast as possible.

"Tom…Riddle," She whispered to herself.

She found him interesting. She hoped she would bump into him again as the burning sensation of his once lingering touch caressed her waist.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Reminder that chapters up until a certain point (which I'll let you know when) are flashbacks =) this one is a long one sooooo…enjoy!

**Chapter 3: The Kind of Girl She Is**

_First Day Back: 1941_

Charlotte had woken up before everyone else on her first day of classes. As she looked around the room at her sleeping Gryffindor roommates, she idly wondered why she couldn't seem to sleep as long as they could on the first day. She removed that thought from her head and prepared to throw on something comfortable to go downstairs and read a book by the fire. It was an annual tradition that she has upheld since her first year. In fact, that was how she met Andrew Potter.

"Where is my blasted housecoat?" Charlotte whispered as she searched around her room, careful not to wake anyone.

The last person she wanted to wake was her sister, Holly. Holly would rat her out to Delilah faster than she could breathe. Charlotte still continued her search and then started to curse the fact that she may have left it at home. She shook her head and almost groaned in frustration at the fact that she packed so late but something gold caught the corner of her eye. It was a gold package that was tied with a red ribbon sitting on the end of her bed. She didn't remember seeing that when she woke up. Charlotte looked for any sign of an owl having come in but all the windows were sealed tight. She really wanted to open it but made sure that everyone was still sound asleep before prying into the package carefully.

When she pulled on the ribbon the package unwrapped itself quietly and the box fell away from a beautiful floral kimono wrap with a red letter sitting on top of it. She marveled at the blue silk fabric and the lilies, her favorite flower, which graced every inch of the kimono. She picked up the red letter and a smile spread over her face as she read the contents.

_Pumpkin,_

_I hate that I'm missing your first day back to school again. My train was delayed from Germany but I know you gave your mother hell. I hate I couldn't see that. That's my girl! Anyway, I've got to travel to Belgium for the Christmas holidays this year so it doesn't look like I'll be there for you girls on your break. I'll try my best to be there but the way that this war is heading, I think it's safe to say it's not over. Here's a little present from Germany, love. You be careful and make sure you get good marks this year. _

_Sincerely,_

_Dad_

Charlotte smiled and immediately threw the kimono on and admired its beauty in the full length mirror next to the door. It barely covered her knees but it was the most beautiful thing she had ever put on. Surely this had cost her dad a fortune but he didn't seem to mind spending money on his daughters. Her usually curly and untamed hair seemed to have died down into a light wave as it cascaded over her shoulders. She made sure that the kimono covered up her slip so that she could go down to the common room and read next to the fire.

_For Whom The Bell Tolls_ had been a book that her father had given her as a present from America and she was ashamed to say that she hadn't read it yet. Well, she decided she was going to change that since her favorite author, one of them, happened to be Ernest Hemingway. She tiptoed down the common room steps and saw that the fire was already ablaze but no one was in sight. At least, that's what she assumed. The moment her toes hit the cold stone floor someone cleared their throat and scared her almost clear out of her skin.

"I knew you'd be making your way down here sooner or later," A rather husky voice said from a small table that was tucked over by one of the bookcases.

"Andrew Potter, you'll give me a heart attack if you keep that up," Charlotte huffed, putting a hand over her heart in a dramatic fashion.

"Merlin knows that's never in my plan," Andrew said, his eyes tracing every inch of her body.

"No need for wandering eyes," Charlotte said, a smirk playing on her lips.

"You mean, you didn't get dressed like this just for me?" Alex questioned, fake pouting.

Charlotte thought she could use this to her advantage and play up everything she's got. She did love to tease Andrew and she couldn't really think as to why she used Blythe as an excuse towards her mother. She really did have quite the sweet tooth for Andrew but she couldn't let her family know that…well, besides Delilah of course.

"Oh, you mean this old thing?" holding the openings to her brand new kimono wrap open so he could see her slip.

She only did it so she could see his eyes practically bulge out of his head, which she had succeeded in doing. Charlotte tried not to giggle and managed to keep up her act for a bit.

"I can see that you went vacationing in Cote de Basques this summer," He responded coolly, motioning to her tanned legs.

"Why, yes I did. Are you stalking me, Mr. Potter?" Charlotte mocked, half smiling.

Andrew chuckled at this and decided to close his book in order to give her his full attention.

"Always, Miss Lightheart, always," Charlotte's sultry demeanor broke the moment she heard him chuckle and broke into laughter herself.

"What is it you're reading this year?" Charlotte questioned, walking closer to pick up the book but Andrew was quicker.

He snatched the book from the table and tried his best to hide it from her. They played hide the book for a solid minute before Charlotte finally grabbed onto the book. Charlotte sat on the table in front of Andrew, crossing her legs and holding the book delicately in her hands.

"_Farewell, My Lovely_ by Raymond Chandler?" Charlotte questioned, interested.

"I find his writing purely entertaining," Andrew said, smirking at her.

"I imagine so," Charlotte answered, flipping through the pages.

Charlotte wasn't paying attention to what Andrew was doing until he moved closer to her, closing the book in her hand.

"It seems you've almost finished it," Charlotte whispered, looking deep into his green eyes that had somehow found their way in front of her face.

"No, I'm not finished," Andrew said, the huskiness returning to his voice which made it sound deeper than usual.

This made the hairs on Charlotte's arms stand completely vertical along with his fingers which had begun to trace outlines on her thighs that only the artist could see. He pushed some of the silk kimono down to reveal her tanned shoulder before giving it a soft kiss.

"You see, there's a book I've been dying to read for some time now," Andrew whispered in her ear while he pushed her brown, wavy locks behind her ear.

"What book is that?" She trembled.

"Yours." He said simply, going in for a kiss that she had been waiting for all summer.

It was everything that she had imagined it would be and more. Since they had kissed at the end of their third year on a dare they had been addicted to each other since. They would have to wait summer breaks and Christmas breaks in order to enjoy each other's company. Letters could never feel the way his kiss felt to her. Blinding passion erupted throughout their kiss and it all seemed so much better than fireworks. It was hotter than the beaches of France, sweeter than chocolate frogs, and deeper than deepest parts of the Pacific Ocean. She doubted she would ever feel this way with someone else again and she didn't want to. He was Andrew Potter, for Merlin's sake. When they parted and looked in each other's eyes, they smiled at each other.

"When are we going to tell everyone about us, Lottie?" Andrew said, pushing that same piece of hair behind her ears again.

Charlotte loved when he called her by her pet name. It was a name that he had come up with by himself and it gave her shivers. It was the only thing that could make her smile on a cloudy day.

"They'll just label us…maybe another month or so. There's no good way to tell our friends that we're seeing each other," Charlotte offered.

"I don't mind being labeled Charlotte Lightheart's boyfriend. In fact, it feels right," Andrew said, bringing her in for another kiss.

The kiss was going to get a little more heated than just light petting until someone cleared their throat rather loudly, forcing both of them to pull apart hastily. Delilah stood at the opening of the common room with her arms folded across her chest as she watched Charlotte scramble to put her wrap back over her shoulders. Andrew just raked a hand through his hair and looked completely guilty.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Delilah demanded, a smirk forming on her face.

"Uh, well…" Charlotte started, always having an excuse for everything, but was interrupted by Delilah's hand going up to silence her.

"Rhetorical. Mr. Potter, don't you have somewhere to be?" Delilah questioned, motioning for him to make his way up the stairs so she could have a talk with her sister.

Charlotte groaned after Andrew nodded and let go of her hand, unwillingly, as he hurried up the stairs to get ready for breakfast. Charlotte began to wring her hands behind her back as she waited for her sister to begin scolding her.

"If you want to keep this relationship a secret for another month then you both should find somewhere else to snog besides the common room," Delilah offered, smiling at her sister.

"You mean…you're not angry?" Charlotte asked, expecting some sort of punishment.

"I'm not heartless, Charlotte. I know how it is when you're trying to hide your relationship from your friends when you're not ready to go Daily Prophet," Delilah joked.

"So, I won't be punished?" Charlotte asked, hopeful.

"Of course you will. I'm head girl. I have no choice but to punish you," Delilah answered.

Charlotte groaned even louder at this and Delilah could help but laugh a little bit at the misfortune of her sister.

-XOX-

Charlotte waltzed in the Great Hall to eat breakfast with her friends even though breakfast was about to end in fifteen minutes. She didn't like to eat much anyway for breakfast and it was mostly because her mother had always instructed her to. The moment she walked in the Great Hall, Andrew had caught her eyes and they couldn't help but smile at each other. It was more of a bashful smile but Charlotte immediately straightened up when she sat next to him and began talking to her other friends.

"Andrew," Charles Weasley started.

"Yes?"

"After lunch today, the lot of us are going to brush up on our Quidditch. Want to join?" Charles questioned.

"Of course! It's only fitting for the captain to be at a Quidditch game even if it is only a practice. Trying out for the team again this year, Charles?" Andrew asked.

Charlotte tuned them out the moment the post came in for the morning letters and care packages that parents send. In fact, the moment she heard an owl she immediately got up from her seat because she knew what was coming.

"Oy, what are you in such a rush for?" Holly questioned, nearly dropping her pumpkin juice as Charlotte bumped into the table.

"Since you've forgotten my obscene behavior at the train station yesterday, I can guarantee that our mother hasn't. I'm due to get a-" Charlotte stopped when recognized the squawk from a rather familiar owl.

Charlotte watched as the red letter was dropped in front of her at the table and she immediately started to turn to run but she wasn't quick enough. She ran into someone else and they both knocked over to the ground. She tried to hurry back up before the letter had a chance to unravel itself but she was caught by a mesmerizing, yet familiar, pair of dark eyes.

"Oh, Tom! I'm so sorry!" She shouted, trying to get his books up as quick as she could but she was too late.

The howler had already begun to shout at her.

"CHARLOTTE LAYNE LIGHTHEART!" Charlotte cringed at the use of her full name.

Tom seemed to understand and pressed her books back into her arms so that she could continue on her run. She didn't expect it from him, at least, not from what she's heard about him. She really didn't expect it from him since she continuously seems to bump into him. However, she took his strange act of kindness and bolted from the Great Hall while leaving the howler behind for everyone else's entertainment.

-XOX-

Charlotte sat uncomfortably at her desk as students started pouring into the classrooms from the Great Hall. She knew that people would be talking about the fact that she received a howler on her first day back to school but a part of her didn't care. She was just thankful that her first class was with Dumbledore since he taught Transfigurations.

"I been looking for'ard to this class all summer," Rubeus Hagrid said, sitting next to Charlotte at her desk.

Charlotte really enjoyed the company of Rubeus, even though he was in Holly's year, since he was such a sweet guy. However, his height and thickness did prevent a problem for them being able to sit together in class. He would always have to sit in the back because of his height and she hated the back. She preferred the middle.

"I know you have. Say, shouldn't you be sitting in the back? You're going to be irritating quite a few people if you stay here. How did you get in this class anyway? I thought it was only for fifth years," Charlotte said, smiling up at him.

"Well er, Dumbledore thought it would be best if I-er-moved up. He says I'm so advanced and all that-uh I should be considered," Rubeus answered, priding himself.

After they talked for a few more moments, he moved back to the back of the room at the request of several students. Charlotte noticed that none of her friends seemed to have Transfigurations with her in the mornings like she had hoped. Before she thought about moving to the back to sit with Rubeus, she found that a particularly odd boy had managed to grab the seat next to her; Tom Riddle.

"Morning," He said shortly, holding out a red diary that Charlotte must have dropped after she ran into him that morning.

"Oh, I must have dropped it. Thank you," She said but he only answered with a nod before starting to walk off.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Charlotte questioned, watching him turn back around to look at her.

"To my seat," He answered.

"Which is where?" Charlotte questioned, amused.

She motioned to all the full seats around her of people chatting away with their neighbors and he noticed that the seat next to her was clearly the only one empty.

"I can't sit next to you," He answered straightly.

"Why is that?" She asked, clearly curious.

"You're a Gryffindor,"

"I don't see what that has to do with anything. Lots of people sit with others that aren't of their own house!" Charlotte laughed.

Tom didn't say anything and his expression certainly didn't change.

"Just because Slytherin and Gryffindor don't get along doesn't mean you can't sit next to me in class," Charlotte said, patting the chair next to her in a sarcastic manner.

Tom rolled his eyes and took a seat next to her. He found her interesting. No one had ever shown him the kindness that she did and he doubted that he ever would. However, it just made him detest her more. How could someone be so cheerful all the time? Especially when you receive a howler first thing in the morning. He didn't seem to mind though. He took her as a refreshing change of scenery compared to the girls he was used to conversing with. No one presented quite the challenge that he desired quite like Charlotte could. For that, he was intrigued.

-XOX-

"Miss Lightheart, may I have a word?" Dumbledore beckoned at the end of class right as she was packing up her things.

"Yes, Professor?" She questioned, throwing her bag over her shoulder as she walked up to his desk.

"I just wanted to make sure that you're not letting your ability of enchantment be known throughout the school? It's very important that you keep that secret matter to yourself," Dumbledore questioned, making sure everyone was out of the room before he asked.

Charlotte just nodded her head with a smile.

"Of course, sir. It would mean my expulsion if anyone were to find out that I'm…part something else," She said, looking around like she was being listened to.

"If you were part muggle, Miss Lightheart, there wouldn't be a problem. The fact that you are part enchantress could very give you a one way ticket to the Sorcellerie Academy in Switzerland. From experience, I know that is somewhere you don't want to be, am I correct?" He questioned and she nodded quickly.

"Yes sir, I won't tell anyone," She answered solemnly.

Little did she know that someone with dark eyes and a slightly darker heart had been listening to their conversation outside the door. If he wasn't interested in her before then the fact that she wasn't just a witch sealed the deal. He was purely interested in her for something was beyond her beauty. Her beauty was something that he found hard to ignore. Then again, that's just the kind of girl she is.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Her Secret, His Trust

_Later That Day- 1941_

Charlotte did what she always did on the first day. She skips Divination to go swimming by herself in The Great Lake, although some call it The Black Lake, in order to clear her head of anything that could be bothering it. In this case, she wasn't bothered but enchanted. How was she going to tell her friends that she was seeing Andrew? It's not just something that comes out. She couldn't understand why she wanted to wait on telling them but something was just telling her to. They were officially going steady according to Andrew and Charlotte was pretty damn excited about it. She just felt like the sneaking around with him was more fun than it ought to have been.

She lay there on the grass before the lake and watched as the sun glimmered off the ripples that surfaced. No doubt it was the giant squid playing with the bubbles like he always did and it was just so pleasing to Charlotte for her to be able to see him. He was happy and he was free. He could do anything he wanted as long as he wasn't disturbed. If you didn't bother him then he didn't bother you and Charlotte wished she could live like that. She wished she didn't have to listen to someone else the rest of her life just because being half an enchantress could earn her a one way ticket to one of the strictest academies in a country pretty far from what she was already accustomed to. She was upset that she couldn't be herself. She couldn't tell her friends and she couldn't even tell her boyfriend. She wasn't sure Andrew would understood. She'd be cast from the most beautiful girl in school to the weirdest. Then Charlotte would have to beg for that one way trip to Sorcellerie Academy.

She wanted to be like the squid. She wanted to be like the lake. She wanted to be at peace with herself and with her situation. Somehow she didn't think she could be, at least, not for a very long time. She removed her robes and stripped down to the blasted slip that she had to wear under her plaid skirt and button up shirt. She waded into the ice cold water and relished in its temperature. She never went so far in the water that it would disturb the Grindylows and she certainly never went deep enough to anger the Merpeople. The squid had never seemed to mind that she was just swimming or he didn't know she was there. Either way, they could both pretend to live in their happy world.

Then she began to think about Transfiguration again and how Tom Riddle seemed to be so against sitting with her because of their houses. The only time Charlotte ever thought of house competition was when there was a Quidditch match, because Andrew was the captain, or at the end of the year when house points were rewarded or deducted. Tom Riddle stood in the middle of the room and denied her invitation to sit with him, even though he did eventually. The real test would be to see if he sits with her tomorrow in Transfiguration or gets there way before everyone else to pick his own seat. Something about him burned into her soul and she wasn't quite sure what it was. He had this way of butting into her thoughts all day long but she tried to push it out with thoughts of her escapade with Andrew that morning.

Charlotte had finished her swim and was drying off when she heard talking coming her way. She gathered up her clothes, her drenched slip covered by a towel, and fled towards the bridge so she could stop and get dressed. However, the conversation that was going on was much too interesting to ignore.

"How are we going to tell them, Holly?"

At the mention of her younger sister's name she slunk back against the cold stone of the bridge and listened carefully to the conversation of a very familiar boy talking to her sister.

"I don't know how to tell them, Charles," Holly answered.

Charlotte's eyes bugged out of her head as she peered over the bushes next to the bridge to see her ever beautiful sister holding hands with none other than Charles Weasley. Charlotte's mouth dropped open but she immediately shut it for fear that she would laugh and give away her position.

"We need to figure something out because I can't stand not being able to hold your hand in the hallway…or walk you to class without someone asking questions," Charles argued.

Charlotte felt like she needed to make a quick getaway so that she didn't hear any more nonsense. She guessed that all those letters being owled to Holly at the beach wasn't from all her friends at various vacation spots. It seemed like they were having the same problem telling Andrew and Charlotte that they were seeing each other just like they had been discussing that morning. Who knew the first day of school could be this eventful?

The minute that Charlotte turned around and to head back to the castle she had run into someone she wasn't expecting to see and someone that she wasn't completely surprised to see. She was stunned at first and didn't move for a minute or two but neither did he. Tom Riddle just gazed at her with his ever so dark eyes and didn't break contact even though her brown hair was dripping lake water all over his robes.

"We really need to stop meeting like this," He said, cracking what she assumed to be a joke but she didn't laugh at all.

She scrambled up to adjust her towel so that he couldn't see just how drenched she was in her practically see through slip while frantically gathering her clothes in her arms. She kept dropping them and then her towel fell to the ground, completely uncovering herself. She tried her best to cover up what she had but he just watched her. He wasn't amused but he wasn't disturbed. Secretly, he was enjoying it.

"If you were anything decent you would turn around this instant!" Charlotte scolded, huffing from all the frantic searching she did.

"Let's say I'm not anything decent," He answered, a cool smirk appearing on his face.

"You, sir, should be ashamed of yourself!" Charlotte shouted, pointing her finger in an accusing manner.

"Well, you shouldn't be ashamed at all, Miss Lightheart" He said, winking at her.

She was completely shocked. What had gotten into him? He couldn't stand to be around her this morning and now he was practically gawking at her.

"What do you mean?" She questioned, pulling on the end of her slip and picking her towel off the ground.

"That body is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it's quite nice," He said, walking closer to her.

She didn't move and she no longer tried to hide. She was infuriated.

"I should hex you!" She spat.

"Can you do that with your hands?" He asked.

She dropped everything that she had been holding, caring not that she was practically nude in front of someone she had only met yesterday, and was completely fear stricken. Did he know? If he knew, would he tell?

_No one would believe him anyway_

She thought to herself. Or would they?

"Whatever do you mean?" She asked, managing to get it out without a stutter.

"Judging by the fear in your eyes I can see that it's true. I know your secret, Miss Lightheart," He casually said, getting close enough to bring the strap of her slip up over her shoulder.

His touch lingered even though he had long removed his fingers. She couldn't understand why his touches had seemed to stay on her body even though they weren't within reach. She didn't know if she liked it or if she didn't. It was different.

"What secret might that be?" Charlotte questioned.

"So you admit to having a secret?" Tom asked.

"Everyone has secrets. It's a matter of which one you're referring to," She said coolly.

He just chuckled but it was a haunting chuckle. The kind of laugh that stayed with you and sent goosebumps up your arms and legs. She knows for a fact she didn't like that chuckle.

"You're quite…enchanting, Miss Lightheart," He teased.

So he did know. Her eyes were wider than saucers at this point and she felt that it was pointless to try and hide it from him any longer. She looked around to make sure no one else was watching and she snapped her fingers. This got rid of the lake water and dressed her back up in her school garments. The towel disappeared and she looked completely dry and smelled as if she had bathed in lavender rather than a dirty lake.

"How did you find out?" She questioned.

Tom's emotions never changed as she performed her trick in front of him. She expected some kind of emotion that triggered amazement but she received nothing.

"I overheard you talking to Professor Dumbledore," Tom answered.

"Do others know?" Charlotte questioned, fear emanating from her pores.

"No, it was just me. I tend to like to travel alone," He said.

She nodded in response and sighed heavily before looking around at the sun that was beginning to set behind the lake.

"Well, now that you know I guess I better tell Dumbledore to go ahead and put my name on the transfer list…" She said, beginning to walk around Tom but he grabbed her wrist gently.

"I'm not going to tell anyone," He reassured, looking into her eyes that seemed too bright for their own good.

Charlotte marveled at the fact that his touch practically burned her skin but wasn't the kind of burn that she would complain about. It was a comforting burn. It was one she could control.

"Why wouldn't you? You already dislike me for my house. Why not get rid of me the first chance you get?" Charlotte questioned, trying to ignore the pleasant burn.

"Because, Charlotte, I've grown rather fond of bumping into you these couple of days. I wish to continue," He said, winking once more before walking away from her.

Leaving his burn idly searing on her brilliantly tanned skin.

-XOX-

It was later in the evening and Andrew had just returned from Quidditch practice while looking slightly worn out. At least, he looked worn out until he saw his secret girlfriend sitting on the couch reading her book that she had forgotten to start that morning. Mostly because she had been too interested in his lips to think about a book. He walked her and caressed her knee which she slapped away so no one else would see them.

"I was wondering how long that practice would last," She said, giving his hand a quick squeeze before bolting up from her position and whispering in his ear.

"Meet me at the Astronomy Tower in fifteen minutes," She whispered, patting him on the back and looking around before planting a swift kiss on his cheek.

They met fifteen minutes later but they couldn't even make it up staircase before they fell into each other's kisses and conversation. The snogging was always phenomenal but Charlotte always wanted a bit more half the time. However, she had some business to discuss with him.

While he traced patterns on her knee just below her skirt she played with his jet black mop of hair and kissed his forehead. He leaned in closer and set his head against her chest.

"So, I learned something new today," She started.

"So did I. Did you know that Flobberworm Mucus is required for Sleeping Draught potions?" He teased and she playfully tapped him on the arm.

"No, I'm serious. I went swimming today out at the lake and I heard two people talking," She said, Andrew sat up at this.

"You're so nosy," He joked and she laughed lightly.

"It was my sister, Holly" She said.

"And?"

"Charles Weasley," Charlotte said, waiting for his reaction.

When Andrew didn't react she continued with her story. Once she was done telling him that they were seeing each other he still didn't react, at first. Then he just busted into fits of laughter.

"Sounds like they have the same problem we do!" Andrew shouted, giving Charlotte a happy peck on the lips.

"It's so ironic," She said, amazed.

"You know what we should do, right?" Andrew asked, an evil glint in his eyes.

"What should we do?" Charlotte questioned, intrigued.

"Mess with them. Make them sweat it out!" Andrew shouted.

Charlotte and Andrew agreed on playing around with their friends and agreed that it would be easier to tell them once the others admit to seeing each other. After their agreement they went back to snogging and it got heavy once more. It even got to the point where Andrew had removed Charlotte's cardigan and had gotten her down to nothing but her bra. He was shirtless already. Charlotte didn't know how they had gotten so far and wrapped up in each other to notice that they were going farther than they had gone before but they had. They had gotten to point where Andrew's hand lightly grazed her inner thigh and she bolted back to her senses.

"We can't do this," She said, trying to cover herself up from Andrew.

He just pushed her hands down and admired what was his.

"We don't have to…but don't hide yourself from me. I like you the way you are…completely undone and perfect," He said, leaning into kiss her once more.

They were completely comfortable just kissing there on the steps but Charlotte wondered if he would be as understanding as Tom Riddle when it came time to tell him the truth about her powers.

She just wondered.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I was asked in a PM what person did I see Charlotte looking like? I really had to think about it but in my mind, she looks like Lana Del Rey. She's my cover art picture that you can see while you read the story. Of course, you can picture whoever you want but she is what I imagine. Thanks to that person for asking though! I'm loving all the response I get from this story and I'm so glad that a lot of you from Bar Elate are starting to pick up this story. It's really going to help with Bar Elate 2 coming up in July. _

_**Chapter 5: Bending The Rules**_

_One Week Later- 1941_

Charlotte doodled on her parchment during Divination that day and Andrew watched her carefully. He knew that Charlotte could never pay attention in Divination, and that it bored her to no end, but he couldn't let that happen today. He had a plan.

"Professor Gallion," Andrew beckoned, raising his hand in order to get his attention.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?" He asked, slightly irritated that he interrupted his lecture.

"May I use the boy's lavatory?" Andrew questioned, getting up immediately once Gallion approved of his request.

Nobody noticed when Andrew dropped a small piece of parchment in Charlotte's lap as he disappeared behind the doors at a rather hasty pace. Charlotte read the piece of paper and was shocked at the bluntness that resided within it.

_Meet me in the tower. Make sure to take your books with you. I need you. Now._

While the letter was quite blunt her body was pumping and she could hardly contain her excitement. Now she was definitely not going to be paying much attention to Professor Gallion.

"Professor Gallion?" Charlotte asked meekly, raising her hand like Andrew had.

"What is it now?" He asked, getting even more irritated with the interruptions.

"May I go to the girl's lavatory?" Charlotte questioned.

"Yes yes. Now please, no more interruptions." He scolded and went back to his lecture.

Charlotte gathered her books in her hand and bolted for the door, hoping that no one would notice that she just up and left class unexpectedly. She raced herself to the Astronomy tower, hoping that it wasn't being used for lectures today. She had pretty much had Andrew withdrawals all week and she just couldn't take it anymore. She had to feel his lips, his touch, and hear those words that he so loved to purr in her ear as they groped one another. Of course, nothing more than light petting had ever been suggested and she suddenly wondered if…that was what he wanted. Was that why he asked her to come to the tower? Their not-so-secret hiding spot?

The moment that she arrived at the tower, she found that Andrew had shed himself of his robe and looked devastatingly handsome in his loosened tie and messy black hair. Her mind was completely erased of any fear that she may have had prior to meeting him. She could have sworn that she was in love but that was much too strong for the place they were in. They were in strong lust and desire of one another. That was fine by Charlotte.

"Well, Lottie, you managed to get out of their unscathed. How did we get so devious?" Andrew questioned, walking towards her with a confident stride.

"I'm not so sure myself, Mr. Potter," She answered seductively.

She placed her school books on the railing and walked with just as much charisma as he was showing her. Before she knew it she was in his arms and being ravished by the emerald green in his eyes. They bore into her like no one else and she enjoyed it. She enjoyed every minute of it.

"I missed my good morning kiss today," He growled in her ear, taking in her perfume.

"Sounds like you have some catching up to do," She purred.

His mouth was on hers like fire to a leaf and it devoured her quickly. Her frame of thought and any reservations she had before had completely disappeared from her mind. He pushed her against the railing and practically ripped open her button down shirt. He shoved her skirt up past her thigh and the wind that seemed to flow through the tower caused shivers to erupt all over her body. Although, at the time she wasn't sure if it was the wind or the fact that his hand drew his artistic patterns on the inside of her thigh. They grabbed and growled at one another for more until she hit the railing once more and sent her books flying down the spiral staircase. The moment the first book hit the other steps and echoed loudly throughout the entire tower, their movements and animalistic behavior ceased.

"Who's up there?!" Demanded a sharp voice.

"Oh shit1" Andrew whispered fiercely, buttoning up his shirt as he handed Charlotte her robe.

Charlotte struggled to get her top buttoned since it was missing quite a few of the other buttons in order to shut but she was thankful that the intruder had come when he did. They were, again, getting out of hand with their kissing and passion. She wasn't ready to do anything sexual with him. At least, not yet. She was pleased with this kind of arousal but she didn't know how she would handle the other. She was too nervous. Although, it didn't seem that way a few seconds ago.

Andrew hurried to grab his books and Charlotte tried to fix her hair so that it didn't seem obvious that they had been making out on the top of the tower. However, she didn't know what excuse she could give to her books being at the bottom of the tower once she arrived at the bottom.

"You kids really should be more careful," a professor that neither of them had, warned them.

"You're completely right, sir. I just wanted to prove to Charlotte here that there were moons around some of the planets and that's why more werewolves were spotted last year," Andrew lied quickly.

"I still don't fully believe him which is why I backed up into my books and they came toppling down the stairs. I couldn't even prove that I was right and he was wrong, sir. We're terribly sorry for the disturbance," Charlotte helped Andrew cover.

They left the tower giggling the entire way back to the dormitory and discussed how creative they were in coming up with their own lies in order to get out of something.

"We're becoming a regular power couple," Andrew said, bumping shoulders with Charlotte.

"I've realized that. Maybe we need to pick another place that isn't the Astronomy Tower," Charlotte said, entering the common room with Andrew in tow.

"What about the Astronomy Tower?" Holly questioned from her spot on the couch next to Charles Weasley.

"Oh, nothing. Something having to do with moons," Charlotte said, cutting her eyes in a seductive way at Andrew.

"Yeah, moons," He said, taken back by the seductiveness in her eyes.

"Oh, alright then," Charles answered, returning back to his book.

"So, where were you guys at breakfast?" Charlotte questioned, remembering Andrew and her pact to make Holly sweat it out.

"Quidditch Pitch," Charles answered but Holly answered at the same time.

"Study Hall,"

Andrew raised his eyebrow at the couple sitting on the couch and they seemed to get a little tense at the situation beginning to unfold.

"So, which is it?" Charlotte beckoned.

"Well, I woke up early to go to the Quidditch Pitch," Charles started.

"Then he came to meet me in Study Hall so I could help him with his potions homework," Holly finished.

Andrew decided to take it from there on making his friends sweat it out. First, it started off with his crossing his arms over his chest which Charlotte knew that he only did that when he meant business.

"Charles, why did you go to the Quidditch Pitch?" Andrew questioned.

"Practice, of course," Charles answered, not even looking up from his book.

"We didn't have practice this morning," Andrew reminded him.

"Well, it was more of a personal practice. I'm trying to make the team this year after all and tryouts are on Friday," Charles said, laughing nervously.

"What time did you get to the Quidditch Pitch this morning?" Andrew questioned, his eyebrow still raised slightly.

"Around seven-ish. Why the third degree, mate?" Charles asked, setting down his book.

"No reason…just wondering how you were at the Quidditch Pitch around seven when you were still asleep at eight," Andrew said, finally.

Charles took a sharp intake of breath and Charlotte tried so hard not to laugh.

"Fine! We'll tell you! I've been seeing Holly since the beginning of summer, are you happy now?! I can't take this secrecy and third degree shit. I'm seeing her and I'm proud of it!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

Several whistles and claps echoed throughout the common room along with the laughter of their friends who had known all along that they had been seeing each other.

"What's so funny?" Holly asked, crossly.

"We knew you guys were seeing each other! I heard you talking about it at the lake," Charlotte confessed.

"I told you I heard people talking around us," Charles said, pointing at Holly.

"Actually, we have a surprise to share with you as well," Andrew said, looking to Charlotte for reassurance.

She nodded and they revealed the news to everyone in the common room. The response was much more positive than they imagined it would be but Charlotte kept feeling this slight nagging in the back of her mind. Something wasn't right…and she wasn't sure what she should do about it.

-XOX-

_A Couple Days Later __–__ 1941_

Charlotte was enjoying the fact that her relationship with Andrew Potter had gone public. In only a couple of days everyone was claiming they were the perfect couple and that they deserved each other. It was good to hear but still, something didn't seem quite right.

"So, I hear that you and Andrew are a couple," Delilah said, sitting next to her sister as they ate their lunch together.

"Yes we are," Charlotte smiled, sweetly.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it," Delilah answered, taking a bite out of her turkey sandwich.

"How are you and Daniel?" Charlotte questioned, realizing that she hadn't seen her sister since the first day of school.

"We're okay…" Delilah said, her shoulders getting tense.

It wasn't that Delilah skipped school or anything, she couldn't, but Charlotte never saw her sister due to the class change and distinction. Delilah and Daniel were an item. They were more than an item, they were soulmates. Charlotte believed they would be together forever but judging by the look on Delilah's face…Charlotte was sensing something was off.

"What's the matter, Lilah?" Charlotte questioned, finishing her sandwich and turned towards her sister with pumpkin juice in her hand.

"He's been acting weird lately…he's been kind of avoidant," Delilah sighed.

"Oh, come on Lilah. He's probably just stressed! You know guys when they start school. They get focused and then become unfocused by the time an exam comes along. I bet he'll be all over you by next week," Charlotte reassured, finishing her juice.

Delilah agreed and continued to eat her food while Charlotte brought her transfiguration book up for her to study today's notes and that was when she caught a pair of dark eyes with hers. Those dark eyes that she had been trying to avoid but they were just so entrancing. They grabbed her and they took her by surprise. They made her forget things that she should remember…like her relationship with Andrew. The relationship that had finally gone public.

"I-uh…I have to get to class," Charlotte said quickly.

She had to get away from those eyes. They had been haunting her since that day at the lake and she's been surrounded ever since. It didn't make sense to her.

The moment she was out in the hallway, she felt like it was a race against time. She knew he had followed her out of the Great Hall despite the fact that she desperately wanted to get away from him. He just knew too much for her to be comfortable.

"Can I ask why you're constantly running away from me?" He asked, appearing at her side once she had tried to hide under the staircase.

"Can I ask why you're constantly following me?" She questioned, looking in those eyes she tried to avoid.

He just smirked and came a little closer. Much like he had been out by the lake that day. Except, even though she had been in a towel that, she felt more intimate now under the stairs.

"Because you're trying to avoid me," He said simply.

"So, naturally, your first instinct is to follow me," Charlotte said sarcastically.

"Well, I told you that I like bumping into you," He said, getting closer.

He was close enough for her to catch his scent of peppermint and something else that seemed to be intoxicating her. She couldn't say no but she wasn't a hundred percent sure that she wanted to. What did he have over her?

"I get that but…really, you're a little too close,"

"I see the way you look at me, kitten," He whispered seductively in her ear.

She lost it. She lost all control of whatever she thought she had control over and practically fell into his words. She was dazed and she couldn't snap out of it.

"How do I look at you?" She whispered, barely able to keep her eyes open as his breath hit her neck in different places that she didn't know aroused her.

"Like you want me to touch you," He whispered back.

His arms wrapped around her waist that forced their fronts to come in contact with the other. The burn that she felt from his touch seared through her body and she was completely pleased. She remembered the burn and just how much pleasure it actually brought her.

"Like you want me to do this," He placed his hand behind her neck and pulled her close enough to where they almost touched.

He liked the feel of her hair around his fingers and the softness of her skin beneath his rough hands. He was drawn to her and he had only been able to think about her for the past week. She was his oxygen and he could finally breathe.

"I'm dating someone else," She whispered, her pitiful attempt to stop him.

"So I've heard," He said, cutting off her words with his mouth.

They moved together in ways that he couldn't describe. How could something so cold become so viciously warm was beyond him and beyond his care. He had to kiss her, to get it out of his system. She didn't stop him despite how much her head willed her not to.

_This is cheating_

She told herself over and over again but no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't. His passion against her was too much for her to bare and the burn of his touch stayed on every inch of her body that he caressed.

"Tom," She whispered, the moment his mouth grabbed onto her neck.

He didn't answer her, instead he kept moving down until both of them were completely entranced in the other that they didn't know how to stop.

"Kitten," he whispered against the nape of her neck.

Almost instinctively, she purred against him and arched against him. He had gotten the very reaction he wanted and then pulled away.

"I've got to go," He smirked, giving her one last kiss and then disappearing.

She sat up and traced the invisible burn marks on her skin while feeling her swollen, tender lips that had practically been bruised just seconds ago. She looked for the culprit but couldn't find anything except a black rose sitting on top of her fallen books. She fixed her robe and bent down to get her books. Maybe she had dreamt the whole thing…but how could she?

Love and lust were becoming too much for her.

But who did she love and who did she lust?


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

_1941 __–__ October_

Charlotte was even more antsy than usual and the longer that she was around Andrew, the antsier she became. She felt dirty. She felt sick and she knew that she had to tell him. How could she tell him? He'd break up with her and then kill Tom. Neither one of those things were on the top of her to-do list.

She attempted to defend herself in saying that Andrew never officially asked her to be his girlfriend. It was true, he hadn't. As far as she was concerned, they were allowed to see other people. She preferred not to be labeled and liked being a free spirit. It made her feel less dirty but it didn't empty the feeling completely. What bugged her most? She had been craving Tom all day since their episode under the stairs. That just etched away at her mind.

She didn't belong to anybody. She was getting ready to turn sixteen and she didn't want to be serious about boys right now. So "dating" to her meant testing the water. If she wanted to kiss Tom then she was going to and if she wanted to kiss Andrew, she could do that too. If she wanted to kiss Nebbilio Longbottom tomorrow then she certainly was going to.

"Are you okay, Lottie?" Andrew asked.

This brought her out of her thoughts and she looked into Andrew's concerned green eyes. She just shrugged and looked back at her book that remained on the same page for an hour. When she didn't answer him immediately he questioned her again.

"Something bothering you?" He asked, turning towards her.

"You're not too serious about me, are you?" Charlotte asked out loud, not meeting his eyes.

"What do you mean?" He asked curiously.

"This thing we're doing...it's not serious, right?" She asked, playing with the ends of her wavy hair.

"Well, that depends...do you want it to be?" Andrew asked.

Charlotte shrugged again and paid even more attention to the ends of her hair. In her mind, Tom had already accomplished what he probably set out to do; claim her without asking her.

"I kind of like what we have going on now...casual kissing and sneaking around," he laughed when she said this.

"I would hardly call our kind of kissing casual but I'll do whatever you want. We can just fool around without strings if that's what you like," He said, a flicker of disappointment surged through his eyes.

She was disappointed too. She had been telling people that they were a couple and now she was changing her mind but it wasn't because she wanted to. No, in fact, she really wanted to be Andrew Potter's girlfriend and she had for several years now. He saw that she was a little upset and closed his book immediately to face her.

"Lottie, what is it?" He said, not taking another excuse.

Charlotte just shook her head but she had closed her book. Her hair had become less fascinating and the only thing she could keep her eyes on was the cobble floor. She was afraid to look in his eyes. She didn't want to see what she knew was there; confusion. She didn't understand why it bothered her so much. Then again, there was a lot in this past month that she didn't understand. She had to come up with something quick so she could have a piece of mind. If anything, she just wanted to fool herself into thinking that what happened was okay.

"I don't want us to change…" Charlotte whispered.

That was partially true. She didn't want them to change and she knew that if they dated that it could ruin things. In fact, it could ruin everything and she wasn't ready for that. There…that was a good enough lie.

"Surely you don't think we will," Andrew laughed.

"We already have! Think about it," Charlotte argued, furthering her distraction.

Andrew did think about it and he still thought it was ridiculous. Although, of course he thought it was ridiculous. What fifteen year old boy wouldn't find it ridiculous?

"We haven't changed that much. The only thing that I can see to be even remotely different is the fact that we want to be closer to each other," He said, scooting closer to her on the couch.

She didn't move.

"Maybe that we want to touch each other more," He whispered, running his hand up her arm and softly caressing the back of her neck.

She still didn't move.

"We might even want to do this more," He leaned in and kissed her gently.

She felt herself pull but she tried to stay steady. She still felt dirty and he didn't deserve to have a dirty friends with benefits. However, she started comparing kisses without even realizing it. Andrew's kiss reminded her of a soft, warm blanket that caressed her gently on every part of her body. Tom was a fire that could never burn out and it seized every inch of her body until it consumed her completely.

Their kiss ended on a sweet note and Charlotte smiled up at him.

"Since we're on the subject of us," Andrew started.

Charlotte sat up a little straighter and pulled her sweater around her to cease the chills that appeared once they had left each other's close embrace.

"Yes?" Charlotte questioned.

"The Halloween Ball is coming up soon…" He hinted.

"Yes it is," Charlotte laughed.

"How would you like to attend the ball with me? We don't have to go as a couple but I don't want to go with anyone else," He said, smiling at her.

Charlotte just laughed gently and pushed the thought of Tom Riddle to the back of her mind. She stood up and flipped her untamed hair over her shoulder with a wink.

"We'll see. Ask me again next week," She flirted, hurrying up the staircase into her empty bedroom.

All the girls had gone to Hogsmeade that weekend and she had the room to herself for what she assumed to be the entire evening. She had to get away and think. Although, she wished she could stop thinking. She spotted her red diary on her desk, the one that held the black rose in between its bindings, and she stopped immediately. The sickening feeling of regret had begun to seep through her body once again and she just had to get them out. She carefully opened up the brand new diary and stared at its perfectly white center. She didn't know how to begin or what she would even say to the diary. She just started it the only way she knew how.

_**Dear Diary**_

Then she stopped. She didn't know what to say to this book and, even though she knew the diary couldn't judge her, she was afraid of it. She sat back in her chair and watched as a rain cloud hurriedly approached the castle. The only thing to draw her out of her daydream was the strike of lightening that appeared outside of her window.

Blinking several times she looked down at her diary, preparing to write out her entire story, but she stopped when she saw the page that her words had disappeared on. Instead, they had been replaced with a reply.

_Hello Charlotte_

To say that Charlotte was floored would be an understatement. She didn't remember those words being there a few minutes ago and she knew, for a fact, that she didn't write them herself. Did her dad buy her a special kind of diary a couple years ago? Did her mom purchase a special quill? Was Charlotte going mad? There was only one way to find out. She would pen a question.

_**Who is this?**_

She waited patiently for a response that seemed to come rather quickly but she couldn't believe what she read.

_Your diary, of course._

There was no way that her diary could be conversing with her on parchment. She was starting to believe her first assumption about it being a magical diary. At least, that was the only thing that made sense at the time.

_**How are you able to respond to me?**_

_That's the beauty of it. I'm unsure. How is anything the way it is? Sometimes they just are. Now, were you about to tell me something?_

_**How do I know that I can trust you? **_

Charlotte had never seen or heard of a diary that could talk back to someone and she doubted, seriously, that her father would have just picked this up randomly on one of his business trips. Unless, he knew that it was a special kind of diary that provided the conversation that she dearly desired from her father that she never got to have. At least, not since she started attending Hogwarts.

She tapped her quill against her desk rather impatiently as she waited for the response, slinging ink all over her desk. She didn't really care all that much but her roommates would probably be angry about the ink all over the desk and the floor.

_I'm a diary. You're supposed to be able to trust me with anything. Who would I tell? _

Charlotte thought for a minute and realized that she was being ridiculous. It was a book, for Merlin's sakes. What harm could it possibly do? It would allow her to talk about her fling between the handsome Andrew Potter and the mysteriously dark Tom Riddle. 

_**Good point. Then I have a secret to tell you.**_

_Then tell me my dear. My pages are all yours. _

-XOX-

"You seem a tad more anxious than usual," Delilah commented, watching her sister stare at her plate while she drank her pumpkin juice at a fast pace.

Charlotte knew that Tom was in the room and that Tom was watching her every move. How did she get like this? She barely knew the guy and he was causing her to behave like a first year.

"There's an exam in Dumbledore's class today that I'm a little nervous about," Charlotte lied.

Well, she was telling the truth about there being an exam but she definitely wasn't nervous about it. She was more nervous about having to sit next to Tom during the exam.

"You're the smartest in our house. There's nothing to be nervous about," Delilah encouraged.

"Perhaps. You seem to be a little bit happier than I've seen you lately," Charlotte commented, putting all her attention into her sister so she could forget about the pair of eyes that seemed to violate her every breath.

"That's because Daniel asked me to the Halloween Ball," Delilah answered, her smile was starting to grow.

"Well I imagined he would…you guys have only been dating since second year," Charlotte gushed, smiling at her older sister.

"Aren't you going with your boyfriend?" Delilah questioned.

"He's not my boyfriend. We're just…seeing each other," Charlotte answered nervously.

"Isn't that what qualifies you as a couple? I thought you were telling everyone that you were together?" Delilah asked.

Charlotte didn't know how to explain her situation to her sister and even if she could come up with a way to do it, her sister would definitely not approve. Who would approve?

"I'm just not ready for a serious relationship yet! We are going to the Halloween Ball together, however" Charlotte explained, her eyes accidently looking up to catch the dark ones that had been staring at her all morning.

Charlotte seemed to be getting into these positions lately where she'll run out on her sister because she's being stared at by her supposed stalker. She found it thrilling but she wasn't going to let anyone know that.

"I think I better get to class. I don't want to be late for that exam. I'll catch you at dinner! I might want to borrow that gold dress of yours for the ball," Charlotte said, winking at her sister before giving her a side hug.

Charlotte managed to avoid those eyes until she got out into the corridor. She felt a wave of relief wash over her body and she suddenly became excited. She wasn't sure why she became excited but it might be the fact that she was intrigued by the chase. She glanced over her shoulder to see that Tom was walking rather slowly behind her at a safe distance. Charlotte would never admit to enjoying the company of this young Slytherin but she was definitely taking her diary's advice.

_Live for the moment_

Her diary had said to her. She intended to do just that.

When Charlotte arrived to the classroom, most of the students were already there with their heads stuck in the book. She perched herself in her usual seat before making sure that her parchment was freshly pressed and her quill sharper than a fang. She waited patiently for Tom to sit next to her and the moment that he did her senses were filled completely with the smell of his cologne. It was strong but something about it enchanted her. She craved it. Her diary knew all of this.

"Are you ready?" He asked sensually.

"Excuse me?" She questioned, looking at him incredulously.

"For the exam?" His mouth curved into a dark smile and Charlotte just nodded her head.

She crossed her legs where her robe parted so that they were showing. She wanted to make him sweat a little bit. Two could play at this game and she'd be damned if she'd let him win.

"The exam is now in session. When you have finished-" Dumbledore explained.

Charlotte was barely listening to the instructions because she was too busy concentrating on Tom's hand that was attached to her knee. The whole room was quiet and Charlotte could barely read the print on the exam.

Tom stroked her knee with his long fingers and sent shivers of pleasure erupting through every pore on her body. He moved his hand slowly up to her mid-thigh and grazed the inside of her thigh with his thumb. He gripped her thigh firmly and it took everything she had not to let out a shudder. She wasn't sure how she made it through the exam and she doubted that she got any question right.

The only thing she knew was that after the exam was over she had been waiting under the staircase for Tom. She wanted him to do everything that he was doing now. She wanted him to run those talented fingers through her hair and bruise her lips with his addicting kisses. She had craved this for so long that she didn't know when she would have enough. She doubted she ever would.

They were in the same position they were days ago and Charlotte didn't want it to stop. She knew it had to stop…but that didn't make it any less dreadful. He stopped before she could tell him to and he nuzzled her neck while inhaling deeply. She smirked when his dark eyes came up to meet hers.

"I like that perfume," He purred.

"Lilies," She whispered.

He kissed her neck slowly and sweetly before kissing her gently. She wasn't used to his gentle kisses but she found them surprisingly more addictive than the rough kisses of need.

"Maybe one day I'll have you wearing nothing but that perfume," He whispered in her ear.

She found that surprisingly arousing but she just chuckled.

"Maybe you will and maybe you won't," She teased him.

This time she was going to be the one to leave him under the stairs but he grabbed her hand before she had a chance to slip away.

"I know you're going with Potter to the ball," He said, monotonously.

The thought of Andrew just made this sneaking around seem all the more real and it depleted the mood instantly.

"Yes, I am," She nodded.

"Save a dance for me," He smirked.

She just smirked back and bent down to pick up her books. When she came back up he was gone but his presence had been replaced by the notorious black rose that he keeps leaving for her.

She knew that this would be a story for her diary tonight…but she also needed some advice.

**A/N: Alright, this wasn't long at all but I want you guys to pay special attention to that diary for a number of reasons. It's VERY important. More updates soon! I know it's been almost a month and that's my fault. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** **This is going to be a major turning point in the story. I just wanted to let you know that ahead of time **** also, I have listed on my profile all of my current stories, my future stories, and the dates that they will all start or be updated. You should go check that out to see when you should expect an update. Onward to the story! **

Chapter 7

_1941- Morning Before Halloween Ball_

"I don't have anything to wear for tonight!" Holly shouted, throwing everything out of her trunk.

She had been littering the floor with various clothing while Charlotte sprawled out all over Holly's bed. Charlotte just laughed at her sister's outrage while she continued to write to her diary.

"Mother didn't send you a dress to wear?" Charlotte questioned, running the quill feather across her own lightly freckled nose.

"No!" Holly yelled, kicking several of her shoes across the room.

"Then why didn't you go with everyone else to pick out dresses last weekend?" Charlotte wondered.

"Have you seen the prices of those gowns? I couldn't afford something like that!" Holly answered, tears nearly falling from her brilliant eyes.

Charlotte closed her diary and crawled towards the end of the poster bed. She looked carefully around the room to make sure no one was listening.

"Why didn't you come to me for help?" Charlotte whispered.

Holly's eyes widened to the size of saucers and made sure to look around herself before cautiously whispering to her sister.

"I couldn't ask that of you, Charlotte. It's not your responsibility," Holly told her.

"Holly, you're my sister. I will help you any way I can," Charlotte reassured her.

Holly sighed, defeated, and then threw herself into her sister's arms. Charlotte had always been closer to Holly than anyone else in her family. Well, with the exception of her father. Charlotte finally talked Holly into going into Hogsmeade to find a fabric that she liked.

"Do you know what color Charles is planning on wearing?" Charlotte asked, fingering the fabric as she passed it by.

This place was full of fabric and it was deeply hidden between the shops in Hogsmeade. Hardly anyone knew where this place was and for that she was thankful. Tonight would hardly be possible if everyone knew about it.

"I have no clue," Holly answered, mesmerized by this brilliantly light blue fabric that she held in her hands.

Charlotte walked up behind her and admired the fabric in her hand. Holly just sighed heavily, much like she had been doing all day. Charlotte knew that this was the fabric she desired. It wasn't just the sigh that gave Charlotte the hint but the fact that this blue positively radiated off her sister's soft blonde hair and added color to positively pale skin.

"This one is the one," Charlotte said, motioning for the store owner to come over.

"Oh, no Charlotte. This one is far too expensive," Holly argued but Charlotte put up her hand.

"Don't argue. You'll look positively beautiful," Charlotte answered with a smile.

Charlotte paid for the fabric and then rushed Holly back to the castle so they could get started on her dress. Everyone had already started getting ready in the common rooms and dormitories. There weren't any available spaces for Charlotte to complete this dress. All except one place: The Prefect's Bathroom.

"Are you crazy? We can't do this in here!" Holly whispered harshly.

"Of course we can! All of the Prefect's are spending their time setting up the decorations in the Great Hall. That gives us at least ten minutes which is more than enough time to finish your dress," Charlotte informed, closing the big doors behind them.

"Are you sure about this?" Holly questioned.

"There are plenty of good smocks on your floor. Would you rather wear one of them?" Charlotte asked with a smile.

Holly shook her head fiercely and took a seat on the cobblestone bench located before the bath. Charlotte checked every inch of the bathroom before performing the assembly.

"How does a strapless dress sound?" Charlotte questioned.

Holly just nodded meekly and watched as her sister spun her hands around the fabric to unravel it. Several minutes later the finished product was lying in Holly's arms. The light blue dress gave off a slight shimmer that complimented everything about Charlotte's growing sister.

"Oh, we forgot the mask," Charlotte said, gathering the last of the fabric and creating a mask to match her dress.

The look on Holly's face was a look that Charlotte wanted to remember always. It was sheer appreciation that lit her brilliantly blue eyes. Their eyes were the only thing they really had in common as far as looks go.

"Oh, Charlotte…thank you so much!" Holly bounced around, hugging her sister.

"You're welcome," Charlotte said, pushing her sister off to finish getting ready.

Charlotte hurried back to her own dormitory and was immediately hounded by every girl in her house. They all saw her amazing job "picking out" a dress for Holly that they all wanted advice. She made sure to avoid everyone's questions and ran up the stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her.

"Bugger," She whispered to herself.

Opening her eyes, she saw Delilah standing in front of her in her brown dress. She looked like a bridesmaid who was having a horrible day.

"Charlotte, what am I to do?! My hair won't curl, my hand isn't steady enough for makeup, and this dress is way too…." She started, searching for a word.

"Bulky?" Charlotte questioned.

"Yes! Bulky!" Delilah shouted, throwing her arms up in the air.

Charlotte eyed the beautiful red dress on her bed that she had laid out for herself that morning. She had been planning to wear this so that she impressed Andrew and…her other admirers. However, looking at her other sister's distress, she was willing to part with it.

"Here," Charlotte said, walking over to her bed and picking up the delicate red dress with the black laced backing and handing it over to Delilah.

"Is this your dress?" Delilah questioned.

"No, no," Charlotte lied, "I just had it as an option. This would look much better on you anyway,"

Charlotte fixed Delilah's hair so that it curled and positioned the mask that she had specifically picked out on her face. She no longer looked like a bridesmaid but a bride who cared not whether she wore red on her wedding day or not.

"David is going to be stunned," Charlotte said to her sister, receiving a hug much tighter than Holly's.

"You're the best, Charlotte," Delilah said, kissing her sister on the cheek before hurrying out of the dorm room.

The dorm room was eerily quiet now that everyone had gotten ready before her and most of them were already downstairs or in the Great Hall with their dates. She sat down on the end of her bed and huffed sadly. She thought about Andrew sitting by himself in the Great Hall and didn't know how to tell him later that she couldn't attend the ball.

How would she tell him? She could say she was sick but he had seen her that morning. She could say she was…

Her thoughts ceased when she caught the sight of a rather large box that sat on top of her bed. It hadn't been there mere seconds ago and she looked around the room for someone, anyone, who would have placed this on her bed. Especially without her knowing.

"Hello?" She called out, expecting an answer.

Her expectations were met with silence. She inched forward to untie the gold bow that encased the gift lying on her bed. When she took the box top off, her eyes were met with a gown way too gorgeous to ignore. The white dress had a gold scalloped pattern that traced all across gown. The sleeves were butterflied and hit her elbows when she tried it on. It fit perfectly and caressed every curve that she possessed. It was much too beautiful.

Charlotte looked back at the box and saw a cream colored note that had been tied to a black rose. Next to the note was a mask that matched the dress.

_Someone of such beauty should have a dress to match. Save me a dance.  
XO_

She didn't need a name to know who sent it, she only needed the black rose. She added the black rose to her collection in the vase on her desk. She hurried to curl her hair and let it cascade down her back. She placed the mask and took a deep breath.

She wasn't quite sure who she was more excited to see.

-XOX-

Charlotte waited outside the hall entrance to try and calm the sudden nervous invasion that her body felt matched the situation. She knew that if she walked in with this dress that all eyes would be on her. She hadn't expected to look this lavish and she knew that there were at least two people in there waiting to hold her close.

The thrill of being on someone else's mind had not bothered her before but now that there was more than one, she was scared. She was scared of hurting someone. In her situation, however, it was inevitable. Someone was going to get hurt tonight.

She inhaled sharply and walked through the entrance. She felt a bit like Cinderella, a muggle story that her mother had told her many times. She looked around the room at all the faces that had turned towards her but not one of them she recognized.

"You look beautiful," She heard someone whisper in her ear.

She recognized the voice and smiled instantly when she turned around to face him.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Potter," She smirked, letting him kiss her gently.

The whispering and staring had not ceased but it was certainly better than it had been in previous moments. However, once his hands encased her waist she had stopped paying attention to everyone else. She just stared into his green eyes that showed her everything she had been avoiding over the past few weeks.

"You look marvelous in this gown," Andrew whispered in her ear.

"It was a lovely gift," She said, avoiding all details.

"Well, they have a wonderful eye for such things," He answered with a smile, leading her to the dance floor.

"Care to dance?" He questioned.

"Of course," She whispered with a seductive smile.

They had danced several waltzes and still they weren't tired. They could have done this all night but if it wasn't for the fact that she was thirsty, they very well might have done just that.

"So, what are you doing for the holidays?" Andrew questioned, handing her a cup of pumpkin juice.

"I'm not entirely sure yet. It's a little early for such things, isn't it?" Charlotte questioned, sipping her drink carefully.

"I know we aren't…in a relationship or anything but I was curious as to if you would join me in my box seats to see the Wimbourne Wasps play this season?" Andrew asked, rubbing his neck nervously.

"Oh…" She whispered to herself.

She did love the Wasps, they were her favorite, but she wasn't entirely sure why she was debating on dates with him. A couple of months ago there wouldn't have been a question but now she wasn't so sure.

"You don't have to give an answer right now," He reassured, noticing her sudden panic.

"Oh, no I'd love to go with you," She answered quickly with a smile.

Who was she to turn down Andrew Potter? She wanted him but a part of her was denying him. Since when did she feel this way?

"Great!" He shouted, kissing her on the forehead.

"Yes, it's wonderful. Excuse me but I must go to the ladies room," She excused herself, handing her half empty cup to Andrew.

Andrew nodded and Charlotte was on her way out of the hall. She needed some air.

The moon was quite bright on this Hallows Eve and the air was crisp. She could feel the goosebumps rise up on her arms as the chill nipped at her. She heard talking pretty close by and she decided to investigate as she always does.

"You look positively beautiful, Lilah," Charlotte heard from a familiar male voice.

Charlotte must have caught Delilah and David talking but why weren't they talking inside where it was warm?

"You look handsome too," Delilah complimented sweetly.

"There's been something I've wanted to talk to you about for some time now…but I didn't know how to ask you," David said, Charlotte caught the nervousness in his voice.

"Is that why you've been ignoring me these past few weeks?" Delilah questioned curiously.

"Y-yes," He stuttered.

Charlotte looked around the corner so that she could see what was going on and she was so glad that she did. She saw David get down on one knee and heard her sister gasp.

"Delilah Victoria Lightheart, will you marry me?" He asked.

Charlotte couldn't wipe the smile off her face once she heard Delilah shout yes to man she loved. She decided to give them a little bit of privacy and walked to the other side of the open hallway. She was so happy that one couple had figured it out. Why couldn't she? Why was figuring out who you want to be with so hard for her?

"I have to tell you that the dress you are wearing is very becoming," She heard a dark voice say from behind her.

A different kind of chill crept up her backside but was replaced with immediate warmth from the black dress coat that he had removed to cover her bare arms. She wasn't used to his acts of kindness but she welcomed them.

"Thank you for the dress," She said with a smile.

He just nodded, face emotionless. That's usually how it always was. She would show a decent amount of emotion towards related or unrelated subjects and he would just be completely still. She scoffed and he just looked at her curiously.

"What is it?" He questioned.

"It's nothing…no, you know what, how can you be so bereft of human emotion? I don't understand," She argued, clearly irritated.

"I'm confused," He answered.

"Well, at least you feel confusion. You must not be able to feel anything else but that!" She shouted.

"Where is this coming from?" He questioned, tilting his head.

"I just don't understand what we're doing. We kiss under staircases and touch each other romantically but I know nothing about you. The only thing you know about me is a secret that could ruin every possible relationship I have or will have. Yet, you care nothing for me!" She yelled.

"Who said that I care nothing for you?" He wondered.

"Well, you never said that you did. Why don't you want to get to know me, Tom?" She questioned him calmly, coming down from the rage she had just experienced.

He didn't answer right away so she just huffed angrily and walked away from him. She thought that was it, She thought that it was the end of whatever they were doing. Turns out everything she thought was wrong. She knew that when she felt his hand with the burning touch pull her back towards him. He didn't know how to feel. All of these new feelings were foreign to him. The sight of the tears that were coming down her face sparked something in him that he didn't know was there.

"Then let me get to know you," He whispered, pulling her in for a bruising kiss that she didn't try to push away.

She fell into his kiss despite everything she had said previously. She wanted to get to know him, to find out what made him tick, she wanted to know everything. She wasn't sure why she wanted this so much but from the minute she bumped into him at the platform she's been attached ever since.

Their kiss continued on and on for who knows how long but the one thing that they didn't realize was that someone was watching them. That person was heartbroken and very upset with the fact that his supposed long time love was kissing someone that wasn't him.

Andrew Potter didn't know how to react.

**A/N**: **Don't forget to check the dates and see when the next update for this is. I have made the ultimate decision to start Bar Elate 2 at the beginning of August instead of this month. Only because it took me so long to update this story. **


	8. Chapter 8

Charlotte woke up with a piercing headache that she hadn't expected to receive. She didn't drink last night but she remembered the kiss that she wanted to last forever.

She guaranteed that her lips were swollen and that she probably had bruises on her waist from where his fingers had dug into her. Tom probably had a scratch somewhere and a sore head from Charlotte pulling on his hair.

She also remembered leaving Andrew at the ball to get some fresh air and not returning. She knew he would probably be angry at her but it's nothing that her charm can't fix.

She couldn't understand her sudden infatuation with this boy. She had never heard of Tom Riddle until this year. She couldn't understand if she liked him because she thought he was a dark handsome guy who radiated danger or if she was more comfortable with him knowing her secret. She could be herself more without feeling like she was going to get sent off to another school for her kind.

A loud knock echoed throughout the room and Charlotte peered around to see if it had woken anyone else up in her dorm. To her surprise, no one woke, but she thought it best to get the door so another knock wouldn't set off her roommates.

When she opened the door, she found a very excited but a disoriented Delilah.

"Good Morning, Lilah," Charlotte grinned, feeling very proud that she had caught the scene she did last night.

"I have to talk to you,"

Delilah ushered for Charlotte to follow her and she led her to a small opening in the brick.

"What's going on?" Charlotte questioned, attempting to hide her forming smirk.

Charlotte wrapped her kimono tighter around her body and waited for her sister to tell her the news.

"David proposed to me last night," Delilah told Charlotte, the joy on her face was sheer evidence of her excitement.

"You said yes?" Charlotte questioned.

Delilah nodded furiously and Charlotte pulled her sister in a huge hug that she had been saving since last night.

"So, when's the wedding?" Charlotte teased.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about...there isn't going to be one," Delilah said the last part slowly, curious of what her sister may think.

"What do you mean there isn't going to be one?" Charlotte asked, leaning against the cold brick.

"Well, David had this amazing job offer from the French Auror Union...and he took the job," Delilah informed.

"They have to wait for him to graduate, surely they can wait for a wedding," Charlotte argued.

"We graduate this year, Charlotte. He starts the job the very next day,"

"I don't believe what I'm hearing,"

They were quiet for a few minutes while Charlotte processed all the information her sister had given her. No wedding? No goodbye?

"Elopement?" Charlotte questioned, confused.

"On graduation I'll be leaving for France..." Delilah said.

"Are you going to tell our mother and father?" Charlotte questioned.

"No...could you imagine what they would do if I told them that I'm going to elope? I'd be a disgrace!"

"Then have a proper wedding!" Charlotte argued, looking around to make sure no one heard her.

"I can't," Delilah whispered.

"Can't or won't?"

"Both,"

"This makes no sense!" Charlotte shouted.

"Love doesn't make sense!" Delilah argued.

Charlotte was quiet for some time while she processed her sister's predicament. An elopement to France sounds like a romantic fairytale for those that believe in that kind of thing. Delilah was right, love doesn't make sense and Charlotte doubted that it was ever supposed to.

"So why tell me?" Charlotte questioned.

"You're my sister, my best friend...I tell you everything. I would have a peace of mind if someone I trusted knew where I was leaving to," Delilah said, tears brimming her eyes.

Charlotte sighed and pulled her sister in for the hug of a lifetime. She was sad but she knew that her sister needed this. She had been the older sister for long enough.

"Besides, if it were to be you and Andrew then you would probably do the same thing," Delilah said through a tearful smile.

"I don't think it will be Andrew," Charlotte answered, not thinking about the word outcome.

"Why ever not?" Delilah questioned.

"No reason...but you can't ever be sure who you're going to end up with, can you?" Charlotte lied.

"I guess not,"

Charlotte knew that she needed to talk to Andrew about what happened last night. She loved him, she was sure, but she didn't want to be with him...at least, not now.

**-XOX-**

Charlotte sat in the Great Hall while she ate her small breakfast of wheat toast and pumpkin juice. She didn't know exactly what to say to Andrew when she would see him. That is, IF she would see him. He had avoided her at all their regular spots this morning and it seemed as if he was skipping breakfast as well. Maybe he was a little angrier than she thought.

She hadn't seen Tom this morning either and usually they would have bumped into each other by now but she had no such luck. Everyone was starting to leave the hall and she noticed that she was getting close to being late for Transfiguration again. Dumbledore would sure have her head if she were to be late once more. She couldn't take another detention.

As she sprinted down the hall she caught a glimpse of the familiar mop of black hair and made a bee line straight to him.

"Andrew!" she shouted, trying to get his attention.

He looked her way and then continued to walk the other way but at a quickened pace.

"Wait, Andrew!" she yelled, struggling to pass all the people in her way.

She watched Andrew turn sharply down another hallway and she had finally caught up with him. She tapped his shoulder and he turned around. However, she didn't like what she saw.

Fury.

She saw rage that she didn't even know he had in him. She had never seen this side of him before and it scared her immensely.

"Andrew…what's the matter?" Charlotte questioned, backing up a little.

"You tell me," Andrew snapped.

"I don't know-" Charlotte started but she was cut off.

"Tell me how much you liked kissing Tom Riddle!" he shouted, feeling his anger grow even more.

Charlotte's face paled and she was quiet for several moments while she allowed Andrew's breathing to slow from his outburst. She wanted to explain the situation, to tell him that it was a mistake but she couldn't. She couldn't lie to him. It wasn't a mistake.

"H-how did you-" Charlotte started again but was cut off once more.

"I saw you," He hissed.

"Oh," Charlotte whispered.

"'Oh?' That's all you have to say for yourself is 'oh?'" Andrew questioned, feeling his anger build up again.

"It's not like you'll let me say anything else!" Charlotte argued.

"This is so typical of you!" Andrew argued, loosening his tie.

"Typical of me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"You think that just because you're beautiful that you get to tag along every guy that might show the slightest affection for you," Andrew spat.

"Are you calling me a tramp?" Charlotte questioned.

"I thought you would have had better taste than some sloppy Slytherin but I guess no guy is off limits to you now, are they?"

Andrew couldn't stop the words that came flowing out of his mouth. He knew how hurtful they sounded and he hadn't meant them to be said to her. He was just angry but Charlotte, oh Charlotte, she had no idea just how much he regretted everything he just said to her.

"I…" She trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Nothing was going to keep her tears from streaming down her face as she tried to ignore the insults that flew out of his mouth. She turned away from him so he couldn't see them, so that he couldn't see how much he hurt her.

"Merry Christmas…" She whispered to him before running down the hallway.

She debated on taking an early break and skipping all her classes for the rest of the week but then she was pulled into an indenture within the wall by a pair of very strong arms. She knew whose arms they belonged to and she couldn't resist planting her head on his shoulder to cry. The words hurt worse than she ever thought words could.

Charlotte could tell that Tom had never had to comfort someone before. He was so stiff and very monotone with his technique. It made her laugh through her tears but then they would just come pouring out like rain.

"I heard everything he said to you," Tom whispered, sending shivers down Charlotte's spine.

"He's just…angry," Charlotte tried to make and excuse but Tom wouldn't have it.

"I'm no expert on relationships or even feelings but…I know enough to know that what he said isn't true and he shouldn't have said those things to you," Tom said, playing the brown curls that rested on Charlotte's shoulders.

"I appreciate how you're trying to be comforting but…just kiss me already," Charlotte demanded.

He obliged and kissed her softly at first before bruising her lips with his kisses that she loved. She had almost forgot about the whole fight with Andrew until the kisses stopped. All she could do was hold onto the man of no emotion and hope that some of his emotionless behavior would wear off on her.

Sometimes she just wished that she was emotionless.  
What a dangerous thought to have.

**-XOX-**

**A/N: Before you say that Tom was OOC, yeah he totally was but for a good reason. There's a reason that he was out of character and it's getting ready to hit into Bar Elate territory. For those of you who don't know, Bar Elate derived from this prequel but I wrote Bar Elate first. Now, Bar Elate 2 just started yesterday and more things are going to start falling together. I promise. **


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: So, I'm going to go ahead and comment on the story that J.K. Rowling posted today on Pottermore having to do with James Potter's parents and the entire family tree. I'm glad that she did write something about it; however, I won't be following those names. As you see, I picked my own and I apologize but I had already thought this story through without thinking about any characters previous of the ones I've written. I hope I didn't give away too much. On to the fic!**_

_****BTW, I will be updating Bar Elate 2 tonight as well. Some of you were waiting on that and I'm sorry it's been so long. I really should have gotten to chapter 11 with this fic before starting Bar Elate 2 but oh well **____** 3 **_

**Her Dark Enchantment .09**

Charlotte avoided everyone for the next couple of days. She was also ignoring a particular boy who consistently tried to apologize for his behavior, also known as, Andrew Potter. Her sisters were starting to worry about her. She barely ate, she hardly spoke, and she never looked up unless she was spoken to by a professor. This was very unlike Charlotte who was expected to be the most warm and beautiful witch of their time. She did look up once to see the worry that graced Andrew's brilliant green eyes but then she would immediately shut down.

"Lottie…" He would always start.

She would just walk around him and forget that she ever saw him. The only person she would look up for was Tom but even he was beginning to worry about her. She hadn't been the same and he didn't know if it intrigued him or frightened him. One night, too late for anyone to be out of their beds, she owled for Tom to meet her in the Astronomy tower.

"Is there a potion or spell that could completely deplete one's feelings?" Charlotte asked suddenly.

She didn't wait for a 'hello' or even a 'it's really late' from Tom. She wanted to know if it could be done and the only person she felt she could ask was him. After all, he knew things about her that no one else did.

"Not to my knowledge…why do you ask?" Tom questioned, curious about her proposal.

"I want to create it…" Charlotte whispered.

Tom wasn't sure he had heard her right but he didn't want her to see his surprise. He had become well known for his consistent lack of human emotion. Until he had met Charlotte, he found no use for it. Never had he thought it could be done and he didn't think it could be.

"You can't do that…" Tom said simply, taking her hand in his.

"I'm an Enchantress, Tom. I can do what I want," She informed.

She didn't blink. He knew that she meant serious business but even if it could be done, he didn't want her to do it. He didn't want everything that he had come to know about her to fade away.

"You'll regret it," He warned.

"I regret feeling powerless…I can't do this much longer. I can't stand all the feelings of dread or of sadness. I can't stand wanting to cry every night and it would be much simpler if I couldn't feel anything!" She exclaimed, starting to tremble.

Her eyes started to tear up and Tom pulled her to him so he could place a small, yet comforting, kiss on her forehead. He had to get her to think about what she was doing but before he could stop himself, the words just started tumbling out.

"If you do this…you'll lose everything that I love about you," Tom told her but he froze when the words left his mouth.

"Love?" She questioned.

She looked up at him with tears still in her eyes and he placed a kiss, slow and gentle, on her lips. The fire, the burning, seized her like it had many times before. When she opened her eyes, wiping her tears, he had gone. Vanished.

"Love," she whispered.

She hadn't thought about what love would be like. She only thought she knew what desire was and how to control it but love? She knew nothing of that. She left the Astronomy tower and had no idea that Tom was hiding in an indenture, panting. He knew not what love was, it was foreign to him, but how could he say it so freely to her and not regret a word?

-XOX-

Charlotte found herself walking out by the lake the next morning. She decided to skip Transfigurations, she was sure she would upset Dumbledore, because she wanted to relax and to collect her thoughts. They had seemed to crowd around her these days. Charlotte loved the cold winter air. The leaves were disappearing entirely too quick for her liking but even she couldn't stop the seasons. She held a fallen leaf in her hand and mesmerized at the beautiful colors. It was not dead, the brown had not yet set it, and the faint red and orange remained stained on the exterior. She marveled at the beauty. It never knew that it was only going to be around for a season.

The way she saw it, she was the fallen leaf.

As she sat on the cold ground, caring not about the snow, she decided to play with the leaf. She changed its color just by holding it in her palm. She watched as the colors changed from red to purple, to green, and then to the funny color of black. Instantly she thought of Tom and his words to her the previous night. She had always associated love with the color red but she was starting to wonder if she should associate love with the color black. After all, it was HIS color.

She didn't get a chance to give it much more thought because she heard footsteps behind her. She turned the leaf back to its original color. She waited. She knew someone was behind her and she wanted them to speak first.

"Hi…Lottie," came a familiar voice.

"Don't call me that," Charlotte whispered harshly.

She knew this conversation was inevitable. She couldn't avoid him much longer and, even though she wishes she didn't have to, she had to talk to him.

"I'm really sorry…I lashed out because I was jealous," Andrew attempted to apologize.

"You think you can just say you're sorry and think that you are excused for hurting me? You'll have to do better than that," she spat, avoiding his eye contact yet again.

"No, nothing could excuse my behavior but…believe me, I never wanted to—Charlotte, stop moving and talk to me!" Andrew shouted, grabbing her wrist and turning her towards him.

He didn't grab her wrist roughly like she had expected. He grabbed it gently and softly. She hadn't expected such generosity because she knew that a part of him was still angry at her.

"I don't want to talk to you. I'm still hurting and right now I want nothing to do with you," Charlotte said simply.

"What can I do to get you to talk to me?" Andrew asked, desperate as to what he could do.

His eyes were wild but she could see just how sad he really was. It broke her heart to see him so distraught and she didn't want him to be that way. She could only imagine how he felt while he's watched her go downhill since their last conversation.

"We were friends before we were anything else…as a friend, I'm asking for space," She whispered.

"L-Charlotte, I know you…something is a little more wrong than just what I said to you," Andrew whispered.

"That's where you're wrong. You don't know me at all," Charlotte said, pulling her arm from his hold and walking back to the castle.

-XOX-

Charlotte paced back and forth in her empty room while debating on how to get her spells started. The room was only empty because she decided to skip dinner again. She only wanted to work on getting rid of her sadness as opposed to forgoing all of her feelings together. So, she took matters into her own hands.

She stared down at the pile of old books that she had managed to sneak out of the forbidden section in the library and found several on the language of old enchanters; her kin.

**They seemed to have derived of the Dutch language but with their own spin. **

She wrote in her diary but the words did not disappear. For this, she was grateful. It was almost as if the diary knew that it was something she wanted to keep. So, she continued to write what she found.

**Niet Tevreden **

Means non-happy.

**Niet Huilen **

Means non-crying.

Charlotte debated this for a while and read that these were curses used against people who had wronged them in some way. She wondered what it would mean for someone to use it on themselves but she didn't know how to experiment with this. She didn't even know if she wanted to. The more she read the more fearful she became of how deep this spell could really be.

**Niet Vrezen**

Means non-fearing.

**Niet Boos**

Means non-angering

**Niet liefdevolle**

Meant non-loving. This stopped her in her tracks. She could never love if this was used? Why would someone want to come up with something that stopped you from loving? To love is to learn. To learn is to love. 

The moment she thought about all of these things, the words sank into her diary and disappeared for what she assumed to be forever. Then her diary answered her.

_Would you not want to love? _

**I don't know what I would do without love…I wonder why my ancestors would invent such a spell.**

Charlotte's diary did not speak to her the rest of the night and she couldn't figure out why. There was someone sitting on the other side of that diary who had a huge smile on his face. He finally knew that she wanted love.

Tom had figured out how to stop her from creating the spell.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Just A Few Unexpected Things

It was finally holiday break at Hogwarts and Charlotte couldn't be more excited to get out of there. It had become too stuffy and she needed to break free. Besides, she was excited to see her dad for the first time all year and to finally be able to celebrate her sixteenth birthday with her entire family on the Alps in France.

She had imagined the cold air that would grace her cheeks and the snow that would get caught in her curly hair while she smiled from ear to ear for their pictures. However, when she arrived home it was a cold brick hitting her feelings and instead of snow she was met with a torrential downpour. It took everything for her not to cry as she held her father's letter in her hands.

They weren't going to France. He was going to miss her sixteenth birthday like he had missed the five before it. She had officially not seen her father in a year and a half but she couldn't understand how work was more important than his family.

She balled the letter up and tossed it at the door which happened to be opened at the same time that Delilah came in. She managed to dodge but she just looked at her sister with a shared sadness.

"I was upset too…" Delilah whispered, setting her luggage at the door and walking over to the side of Charlotte's bed.

Charlotte had run up to their room the moment her mother started arguing with her about her hair being tangled. Now she was forced to reside in their shabby town home without her father and without a real birthday party. This was a big birthday for her and she didn't want her father to miss it.

"This will be the sixth birthday he's missed, Lilah," Charlotte sniffed, wiping the stray tear that she had beckoned not to fall.

"We'll still have a wonderful party! I've already bought a gift that I know you're going to love and mum can make your favorite cake," Delilah perked, trying to cheer her up.

"Or we can go skiing on the alps," their mother interrupted, stepping in the room to talk to her two eldest daughters.

"W-what?" Charlotte asked.

"Did you think we weren't going to go at all? I've been planning on this vacation! We're going!" Her mother shouted, winking at her daughters before closing the door.

Delilah smiled at Charlotte but she didn't receive a smile in return. Sure, Charlotte was happy that she was still going on vacation with her mother and sisters but the person she really wanted to see wasn't going to be there. She missed her father dearly.

"I know you wanted him to be there but he's working really hard to protect us. You know that," Delilah said, patting Charlotte's knee before leaving the room.

Of course Charlotte knew that he was trying to protect them. The fact that Charlotte was an enchantress was a very dangerous thing. If people found out about her abilities, including the wizarding world, she would be an outcast. She would be locked away at an institution where she would never be able to see anyone or anything. Enchantresses were thought to be very dangerous and they shouldn't be allowed to live among the muggles and wizards. Her father was protecting her by being a part of the corporation that controls the enchantress population and allows them to have safe homes.

She didn't realize that her safety meant she would have to give up the person that meant the most to her on holidays.

-XOX-

It was the day before Charlotte's birthday, the day they were to depart for the trip, and her mother had already woken her up with several packages that had been owled to the house. One parcel was from Charles and it was a new case for her wand which is something that she needed greatly.

There was a birthday card in there from her good friend Myrtle as well as a postcard from her trip with her family to America. There was another card from Hagrid and a cupcake that seemed like he had made it himself. Then there were two cards left in her lap but one of them made the smile disappear from her face.

Andrew Potter had sent her a birthday card.

She debated whether she should open the letter or toss it in the trashcan. By some force, she decided to read the letter. She didn't want to be rude and she was curious as to what the letter might say. When she opened the card it sang "Happy Birthday" to her and a picture fell out of it.

It was a picture of them before the summer started. They were sitting in the courtyard, laughing and clearly flirting with each other while they ignored their divination homework. Something that would have originally made her smile and laugh had made her tear up. She didn't know what had happened to them but even Charlotte knew something was different.

She didn't know if it was him or if it was her but something about their relationship had been off since the moment it began. She took the card with the picture and shoved it into her nightstand. She couldn't stand to look at it anymore. Something about it just made her mad all over again and she couldn't explain it.

The next letter was simple but marked with very familiar penmanship. She knew who it was from and she was more excited to receive it than anything else.

_My Dear Charlotte,_

_ I would like to wish you a wonderful birthday. Sixteen is a very becoming age and I would like to wish you all the best. I've never been good at birthday wishes but I did get you something. Fold the end of the paper, count to ten, and then your present will appear. _

_All Best XO,_

_Tom Riddle _

Charlotte did as she was told and the moment she counted to ten she could feel something stirring within the parchment. When she rolled it down a beautiful rose gold necklace fell into her lap. The pendant was an oval diamond surrounded by similar diamonds. She was speechless but raced to put it around her neck.

Despite the chain getting caught in her thick curly hair she immediately felt the fire that she thought she could only get from his kiss. She loved it and it made her feel…powerful. She felt like she could do anything.

"Is that from Andrew?" Delilah asked, rolling over on her side in her bed.

"No," Charlotte answered simply.

"That Riddle fellow?" Delilah wondered.

"Tom? Yes, it's from him," She informed, getting out of bed to admire herself in the mirror.

"I don't know Char…he seems a little dangerous,"

"Like you're one to give any advice! You're committing one of the most dangerous things of all!" Charlotte countered, leaving the room and slamming the door behind her.

She didn't know where that had come from. She had never spoken to her sisters in such a manner and she was starting to feel guilty about what she had said. Charlotte adored her sister more than anything and she only wanted to the best for her. So, why did she start yelling at her for no reason other than her curiosity and protection?

-XOX-

Delilah had promptly avoided Charlotte for the rest of the day and she definitely didn't speak to her once they arrived in the Alps. Delilah had gone off to be by herself while everyone unpacked for their two week stay.

"What's the matter with Delilah?" Their mother questioned.

Holly just shrugged her shoulders innocently but Charlotte remained quiet. Her mother eventually let it go but Charlotte wanted to investigate the place. It was a different vacation every year and this time she wanted to fully explore every inch. The snow fell heavily across the skiers as she watched several of them fall but laugh as they got back up. Everyone was having a great time and she wasn't having any fun. Until now, that is.

An arm snaked around her waist and before she could haul off and slap the person, she stopped when she recognized the undeniable scent of wood and mint. Tom had many scents and they often changed but this one seemed to be his favorite when they were together.

"I see you got my necklace," He whispered in her left ear, sending shivers up her spine.

It had been merely days since they last saw each other but it felt like ages. She just wanted to be close to him and, like many things have been lately, she couldn't explain it the sudden desire to be with him. It wasn't normal. At least, it wasn't normal for her.

"I love it," She said, watching their reflection in the window.

She couldn't keep focus. She wanted to watch the snow fall outside on the skiers but she wanted to watch them sitting there in the reflection. She hadn't turned to look at him for several minutes until he told her that he couldn't stay too much longer.

"Why ever not?" She questioned, turning to try and read his expression.

She was disappointed when she found that there was no expression to read but a stone face that she had become accustomed to. She didn't know why she thought he would have shone some sort of feeling because he rarely ever did. Charlotte guessed it was just her hope that led her to believe it.

"I shouldn't be here. If they've found out I've left the school grounds on unauthorized manner I would be expelled for sure," He answered simply.

"You're staying at Hogwarts for Christmas?" Charlotte wondered, curious about it.

"You know that I have no home to go to," he answered, pushing a stray curl behind her ear.

"Well, yes, but you didn't have to stay at school…you could have-"

"Stayed with you? Nonsense. Your sisters already don't like me and your parents will probably be the same. Why would I do that when I can just get the same treatment at school?" He asked but he wasn't really expecting an answer.

Charlotte looked down and bit her lip in the process. It drove Tom crazy when she did things like that and even though he wanted to kiss her senseless right about now, he couldn't. So, he just leaned forward and gave her a light kiss on her forehead. That will have to do for a while.

"Wait…hold on one second," Charlotte whispered, turning around to dig through her leather satchel.

When she returned she was holding a green box with a silver ribbon. He was impressed that she had chosen to give him something in Slytherin colors but he hadn't been expecting anything.

"What is this?" He asked.

"A gift. You mustn't open it until Christmas morning," She ordered with a smile.

He couldn't help it this time. He stepped forward and kissed her so hard that it nearly knocked her out of balance. She gripped onto his vest to keep herself from falling but she knew that he would catch her if she did.

"I'll see you at school," He whispered, a little breathless.

By the time she had opened her eyes he had disappeared and she felt this cloud of sadness hang over her head. She hoped that she would see him once more before she had to go back to school.

Then again, it's just a hope.

-XOX-

It was midnight.

It was officially Charlotte's birthday. However, she didn't feel as happy as she used to when her birthday rolled around. Her father wasn't there, Tom wasn't there, her sister was angry with her, and she had forgotten to pack her favorite pair of mittens for the weather.

She tossed and turned on the hotel bed. She half expected Delilah to throw a pillow in her direction but she didn't do anything. Finally, she found a comfortable spot on her back where she just stared at the ceiling. Delilah usually used her wand to create a starry night sky on the ceiling for when Charlotte became restless but she had either forgotten or she didn't want to do that.

Charlotte turned her head to try and get Delilah's attention but she was stopped by a figure looming in the doorway. Charlotte bolted upright and stared at the figure. He didn't make a motion to move and she couldn't see his face.

"Lumos,"

She had whispered that to her palm and a small ball of light formed. She tossed it over to where the figure stood in order to light up the hall and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Good to know my daughter still knows her enchantress powers," Charlotte's father said, smiling at her from the door.

"Daddy?" She questioned, still unbelieving.

"Happy Birthday, Char," He said, coming to sit on the edge of her bed.

She enveloped him in a hug bigger than she thought was possible. She had never been so excited to see her father than she was right now. She didn't dare let him go and already she could feel the tears she had been holding in since she received the letter fall down her cheeks freely.

"I didn't think I'd get to see you," She whispered, wiping her tears on his jacket.

"I wasn't going to miss this birthday. This is the biggest birthday for you…don't you remember what was to happen when you turned sixteen?" He questioned, grabbing the box that he had sitting behind his back.

"Not really," She answered honestly.

"An enchantress gains all of her powers at the age of sixteen…have you been pretty moody lately?" He wondered.

"Y-yes," She stuttered, thinking back to Andrew and then to Delilah.

"They are already in tact then…there's one thing I need to give you so that you can be ready," He said, handing her the present with a black bow.

The box was pretty warm but she couldn't wait to tear into it. When she opened it, a crystal ball sat in her lap as it glowed a very pretty color. In fact, it glowed many pretty colors. It changed colors frequently and it had a Gardenia floating in the middle of it.

"What's this?" Charlotte wondered with a smile.

"This is your most prized possession. It's what I've been protecting all these years while you've been at school. This holds all your powers. If it's broken at any length then the fluid will rush out and leave you without any type of powers. You must take care of this, Charlotte,"

She nodded and stared at her crystal ball for a while longer. She hadn't realized how long she had been staring at it but by the time she looked up he was gone again. He probably had to get back to the field but the fact that he hadn't missed the most important birthday of her life made her feel fifty million times better. She set her crystal ball back inside the box and hid it under her bed for the time being.

She felt tired but before she could lay down, she waved her hand at the ceiling and made the entire ceiling a starry night. She cuddled under her blanket and watched as they twinkled above her until her eyes closed completely.

It was going to be a big day when she woke up and she wasn't going to be prepared for what she was to come across the moment she woke up.

****A/N: I'M SOOOO SORRY! Honestly, school has been kicking my tush and I've had a lot of sickness over the past few months but I'm diving into this story first and hoping to finish it by March (hoping being the key word) because I would really like to get started on Bar Elate 2. Anyway, I hope you all can forgive me and the next one should be up shortly.**


	11. Chapter 11

Her Dark Enchantment .11

The Change

Charlotte felt a little disoriented when she woke up that next morning. She didn't know if she had really seen her father last night or if she had dreamed it. However, once she checked under her bed where she had hidden the crystal ball, it had been there. She knew that her turning sixteen was a bigger deal than she had ever thought.

She peered over to where her older sister was still sleeping and she instantly felt horrible about yelling at her. Charlotte was supposed to be the most understanding one in the family and she alienated her sister by acting unnatural. Of course she supported her sister in the elopement, that didn't change, but she didn't know how to apologize for something like that.

Charlotte decided to think it over while she got ready for the day. It didn't seem like she was going to be going back to bed anytime soon. She placed her feet on the soft carpet that lined the room and sighed happily as she grabbed her toiletry bag off the floor and walked to the bathroom. For some reason she felt taller but she ignored that for the time being. She probably had grown through the night but it was nothing to be alarmed with.

When she stepped into the powder room she opened her bag for the tooth brush that she couldn't remember if she had packed or not. She decided she was going to wash her face first instead but when she glanced into the mirror. What she saw was something that she wasn't expecting on any level. Her bag fell from her hands and scattered all of her things all over the floor as she just stared at herself.

"Charlotte?" Delilah asked, yawning as she walked in the room.

"L-Lilah…is this normal?" Charlotte asked, looking at her sister.

The look on Delilah's face told Charlotte that it wasn't normal and it scared her instantly. She had never experienced something like this before.

"Why are your eyes purple?" Delilah asked, concerned.

"Where's mum?" Charlotte asked, fear evident in her voice.

"Has your hair always been that long?" Delilah asked again, the concern still evident.

"I'm serious! Where's our mother?" Charlotte asked, near tears.

"Oh my…did you grow six inches?"

"DELILAH!" Charlotte shouted, trying to get past her sister.

"I'll go get her…just stay here," Delilah giggled.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and noticed that she did look like she grew six inches. She hoped that this wasn't permanent because she would now be at least three inches taller than the rest of her classmates. However, she would still be shorter than Tom and that's what mattered more to her. She didn't like the idea that she would tower over the boys too.

"It seems my girl has grown into her powers. Did your father find you last night?"

Charlotte nodded when she looked over at her mother and then she just ran into her arms. She usually tries to repel her emotions away from needing her mom but, for some reason, she was what she needed in that moment.

"What do I do?" Charlotte questioned.

"Well, the height thing will disappear in a few hours but I'm afraid your hair length and eye color will remain the same,"

"How can I cover up the eye color? If I show up to school like this, I will be shunned and thrown to that institution!" Charlotte started to panic.

"Don't fret, my love. Here, your father left these contacts for you to put on for a temporary covering up the purple. I hardy think they will shun you! You're still beautiful,"

Charlotte rolled her eyes and looked at the contact in her hands. Once she had put them in her eyes returned to their normal blue color.

"Why is everyone so calm about this?" Charlotte asked.

"We knew it was going to come before you did," Delilah answered with a smile.

Charlotte didn't know why this rubbed her the wrong way but she was clearly irritated with everyone in that moment. Why was she the last to know about things that would happen to her? She stormed out of the powder room and slammed her bedroom door behind her so that she could write a letter to Tom.

She needed someone on her side.

-XOX-

On into the afternoon of her birthday she was still ignoring her family members as they knocked on her door. The truth was that she was starving but she was still mad. She didn't know how to choose between her pride and her desire to force a pumpkin pastie down her throat.

She was still waiting for Tom to show up like she asked him to but something told her that he was probably trying to keep himself out of trouble. Although, he hardly ever got in trouble so she didn't know why it was so difficult.

"It took forever to get out of that bloody castle," She heard him say as he dusted the excess floo powder off of his jacket.

However, he stopped dead in his tracks the moment he laid his dark eyes on her form. She wasn't what he had left the other day. The girl that he left was innocent looking and somewhat naïve but the new girl standing in front of him was no girl; she was a woman. He traced her body with his eyes and noticed the curves that had developed overnight, the length of her hair, and the undeniable glint in her lavender colored eyes. She was, indeed, an enchantress.

"It seems that I've got your attention," She joked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, you always had my attention…you're just going to have more of it," He said, raking his hands through his hair.

Charlotte smirked but she knew why she had asked him to be here. She needed someone to side with her on her beliefs that she should have known well before her family members. These changes won't go un-noticed by her peers and that's something she desperately needed to do.

"However, you're demonstrating everything that I'm trying to avoid once I go back to Hogwarts for the end of my year. I'm different and I'm different in the obvious way! My family knew about this and chose to keep me in the dark about it…I don't even know what to do with this…" She said, rushing over to the underside of her bed and pulling out her crystal ball.

It had changed colors now to a brilliantly bright pink and it seemed to set the glow of the room. Tom just stared at it. He had never seen something like this before but, then again, he had never met an enchantress before. Now, he happened to be dating one.

"It looks like something that needs to be hidden quite well…" He said thoughtfully.

None of them could think of a place that would keep it safe and hidden from the outside world. No one could find it. At least, that's what Charlotte's father implied. This crystal was everything that Charlotte was in that moment. Who knows what would happen if it was tampered with.

"I have an idea…but the problem is that I can't just leave and take it there," Charlotte said, placing the crystal on top of her bed.

"Are you asking me to take it for you?" He wondered

He would have gladly done it if she asked but he knew that she was going to be much more protective over the crystal. At that moment the color shifted in the room to a light lavender that Tom noticed to be a flattering color on Charlotte. She looked radiant in this particular light and he couldn't tell if he loved more before this moment or not. Whatever it was, he was willing to hide it until the opportune moment.

"No, I'm going to wait until we're both back at school. I am going to ask you to come with me though," She said the last part so fast that he barely caught it.

Luckily for him, he had caught it.

"You shouldn't be so worried, Lightheart," he said, kissing her softly, "I'll protect you any way that I can,"

When she opened her eyes he had already disappeared from sight. He had a habit of disappearing before she could say goodbye. However, he was right about one thing.

She shouldn't be so worried.

-XOX-

After a heavy couple of weeks with arguing, bickering, and stuffing their faces until they couldn't breathe; the Lightheart sisters were back at Hogwarts to finish the rest of their year. Charlotte stared at herself in the mirror before her roommates came back and she noticed that her height had returned to normal. However, her complexion had become a little more delicate looking and it seemed that her eyes were a lighter purple than she remembered.

She sighed heavily and decided she better put the contacts back in her eyes before she was caught. She didn't think about how she was going to hide them from her roommates. She couldn't wear them all the time.

She hurried to get dressed so that she could go for a walk on the school grounds. She loved the freedom that it gave her. She covered up her red dress with the hideously thick coat that her mother insisted on getting her for Christmas and ran down the stairs. Her eyes were starting to water because of the contacts but she tried her best to push through it. She was going to have to get used to them for a few years if she wanted to stay at Hogwarts.

Once she had avoided everyone she possibly could on the walk through the halls, she finally made it to the snowy exterior that happened to be near the forbidden lake. She didn't know what it was about that place but she felt completely at home when she was near it. The snow fell gently on top of her coat and coated her new long hair.

A snowflake had landed on her nose and she giggled at she blew upwards to get it off her nose. For some reason she couldn't stop giggling.

"I see you're back from your trip,"

She knew that voice and for the first time in weeks…she wasn't irritated by it.

"I see you're back early," Charlotte said, turning to look at Andrew Potter.

If it was possible, he had become more handsome over the winter break. She was shocked that when she looked at him, she no longer felt angry. In fact, she felt the opposite. She felt happy.

"Well, I don't know about early since school starts next week. I am glad to see you," he said, pushing a piece of black hair out of his face.

"I'm glad to see you too, actually," Charlotte commented.

She did the unthinkable, something completely out of her character, and went to hug him in the snow. She hadn't been this close to him since they argued about who hurt who. Eventually, Charlotte realized that it had been her that hurt him more. She kissed another person that she was interested in while he happened to catch it. It was wrong of her and she realized that.

"I know I've hurt you more than you hurt me," She said, knowing that they hadn't been talking about it.

"What brought that on?" He questioned, pulling back from the hug.

"I just want to admit to what I've done. I tried to deny it for weeks but I realized exactly what I had been doing. I just want to say I'm sorry," She said, caressing his cheek once she had pulled back.

"This is very…different of you," he answered, leaning into her shockingly warm touch.

"Let's just say I had a change of heart," Charlotte said with a smile.

The silence between them was comfortable for once and seemed to go on forever. She had been comfortable to stand in the snow and look at their friendship rekindling.

"I was worried that you may hate me forever," he said quietly.

"There is nothing you could do that would make me hate you forever, you know that."

"Have you stopped loving me?" he wondered, his eyes were full of hope.

"It's not that, Andrew," Charlotte whispered.

She could see the sadness starting to creep back into his brilliant irises. In that moment, the realization of their hurt struck her like a knife. She put him through the ringer for a small comment that he had apologized for over and over again. She was the one who had created the most heinous part. She had lied to him.

She thought she had been lying for a good reason but it seems that lying to keep the ones you love out of danger was just making them more vulnerable to it. She knew she needed to tell him about her being an enchantress but she couldn't…not yet.

"There are just some things that I can't tell you yet. Not right now…and definitely not here," she told him softly as she peered around at the snow covered grounds.

She forgave him then and he forgave her but they didn't use words. The hug was enough and they left it there until things needed to be told.

Everything was going to be alright. At least, for now.

-XOX-

Tom had been sitting in his room for most of the break. He would occasionally converse with Rupert Lestrange but he preferred not to socialize quite as much. After all, he was much happier in his own company. However, when Charlotte was around he was equally, if not more, happy. He had done some research on enchantresses and was particularly impressed with what he found.

She was going to be strong. He was sure of it. Her powers were just beginning but now that she was sixteen she was going to come into them rather quickly. This would be dangerous. That he knew for certain.

He twirled his ring around on his finger as he thought about just how different she had looked when he last saw her. Of course, he knew that she was back on campus but something about seeing her made him nervous.

It didn't usually make him nervous but recently he's been feeling very different around her. He wants to be around her a majority of his day but he couldn't understand this behavior. He had never wanted this.

"You asked to see me?" Lestrange asked from the doorway.

"The book," Tom demanded from his chair.

Rupert brought the book to Tom in an orderly fashion and proceeded to kneel as he gave the book to him. This was a book that he had been trying to have in his possession for quite some time.

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, what is this book for? Why are you so interested in learning about enchanters?" Lestrange questioned.

"All in good time, Lestrange. I'm sure I'll explain sooner rather than later but pity…that day is just not today," Tom said, shooing Rupert to the next room.

"One more thing," Tom started, "If she comes looking for me, see to it that she gets my letter. I'll be quite busy over the next couple of days,"

With that, Tom was enveloped in green flames.

**A/N:**

**Okay, I know that I promised *shields self* but I wasn't as fast as I thought I was going to be. Luckily I have some time tonight to get another chapter out so hold tight!**

**XOXO Katy**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: This installment has a little bit of lemon-esque feel to it. There are references to it and yes…it happens. So, just beware. If you don't want to read that part, it's the second section of the story so it's easy to skip. I've been blocked hard against writing for a while but I'm trying to get back into it. Forgive me **** reviews are always welcome!**

**Her Dark Enchantment .12**

_1942_

Her sixth year at Hogwarts had finally begun. She spent a beautiful summer with her friends and secretly seeing Tom on the side. If it was possible, she became much more involved with him than she ever expected. Charlotte still knew practically nothing about him but that's what made him so interesting. He was dark and he was mysterious, not to mention the fact that he was getting even more handsome as the years aged him.

Charlotte spent her first morning back at school like she always had. She would sneak out really early from her dorm, careful not to wake anyone, and mosey down to the forbidden lake. She had been picking up the dandelions that had sprouted around the lake so that she could practice her color changing chants. Even though they weren't chants she had learned at Hogwarts, she figured that it helped keep her enchantress instincts at bay. She had finally decided on a color for the bouquet of dandelions and left it a nice shade of purple. Someone reached around her and plucked it. She grew fearful of who it might have been until she felt them slip the dandelion behind her ear. Tom had appeared next to her, as quiet as a snake, and gave her a swift kiss that she had wanted to linger a little longer.

"How are you, kitten?" he wondered, his dark eyes searching her own.

"I've been better but you're here now, so no need for me to worry," she purred, moving in to kiss him again.

He didn't protest, in fact, he welcomed the gentle kiss that he had been waiting for. It had been several weeks since he was able to see her and even though it was worth the wait, he had a bit of business to attend to.

"You're up pretty early. Don't you ever sleep?" she half joked.

"Sleep is useless. I've actually needed to discuss something with you for some time now," he began.

She was hoping that he wanted to talk about their relationship. Still, to this day, he had not claimed her as his girlfriend and he hadn't asked. He would just make out with her under staircases and leave his burning touch all over her waiting skin. Sadly, she feared that she would have to wait much longer than she anticipated.

"What is it?" she questioned, still hopeful.

"What is your class schedule? I couldn't manage to write to you the last month to find out," he asked with a smirk.

He knew what she was waiting for and he didn't know how long he wanted to keep her dangling like this. He enjoyed her chase but she made him do his fair bit of chasing as well.

"I have a free period around 10," she said with a sigh.

He gave her a swift kiss on the cheek and stood up immediately.

"I'll see you in our usual spot," he told her, walking away from her.

She couldn't say she was surprised. She just chuckled and ignored his bluntness like she always had. What she forgot to tell him was that she had planned to meet Andrew in the library for a quick study session before advanced potions. Charlotte refused to fail Slughorn's class. At the thought of school, she realized that the sun was starting to peak and she rushed from her spot to be able to get ready before her dorm mates.

-XOX-

Charlotte had come up with some excuse to get out of meeting Andrew so that she could have a blissful hour with Tom. He was always late so she wasn't surprised when she arrived and he wasn't there yet. She removed her robe and placed it on the old desk that some professor had stored there. The stairs seemed to be a little more crowded than usual but it was perfect. In fact, it gave them more places to hide from passing students or professors. She ventured a little farther back behind the stairs to see a small, vacant spot with a silky green blanket covering the old cobblestone floor.

"This is pretty quaint," she whispered to herself.

"I thought so too,"

She recognized the voice immediately without needing to turn around. He was late but he was there in full force to let out all the weeks of pent up frustration out. The frustration of not being able to see her every day, of not being able to kiss, and especially not being able to touch her. Charlotte didn't turn around. His burning touch seized her arms in haste as he twirled her around to practically slam her against the cold stone. The mix of temperature sent her body into a frenzy and she let out a small whimper of pleasure as the goosebumps traveled up and down her arms as well as her spine. She grasped onto the back of his robe and pulled it off of him quickly in anticipation. She had been waiting for this moment for quite a while and she couldn't have imagined it any more dangerous than this.

His hands traced every part of her body with his burning hands and it added to the intensity of her own fire. Her blouse undone, her skirt risen to an inappropriate spot and her naturally wavy hair was flying wildly just like her hands on his back. It urged him on and this is usually the point that he would stop. It was the point of teasing her but he just couldn't bring himself to stop. He tried to fight against it, unsuccessfully, and gave in to the urges that they both had.

She stopped kissing him for a moment and prompted him to open his eyes. She searched his eyes for something deeper than lust. She was looking for intimacy, sensuality, and something that only the old and wise knew about; love. She could see some of it but because of how far they were into each other, she ignored the absence of them. He took this moment to seize the intimacy that she longed for. He knew how to please.

He pushed some her wildly wavy hair behind her ear and leaned down to kiss her shoulder. He felt the shudder and kept going, tracing her collarbone with his burning kisses. She moaned a little too loud for him and he pressed a couple fingers to her lips.

"Shh," he whispered, bringing her into a bruising kiss that made her whimper a bit.

He removed his shirt quickly and tried to remove hers. They were in too much of a rush to be sensual or romantic. They needed each other right then and right now. There was ripping, pulling, tugging, pushing, and muffled moans to go with the rapid movements that left them both breathless and gasping for more. Finally, with one last thrust they collapsed into each other, breathless and slightly sweaty.

"I want to do it again," she breathed.

He chuckled at her words, giving her a small kiss before handing her balled up shirt back to her so she could put it on.

"I'll remember you said that," he whispered, zipping his pants and buttoning his own shirt.

They were even quicker to dress than they were to undress since it seemed they were going to be late for their next period. They were in so much of a rush that they didn't notice Andrew Potter standing in the corner. He had heard everything and he was even more mad than he had been that night at the ball. The thing is, he wasn't mad at Charlotte. He was angry with Tom.

He had a mission and he was going to make sure that he saw it through.

-XOX-

Charlotte had been sitting pretty uncomfortably since the moment under the staircase and she couldn't wait to get something to eat. Dinner was getting ready to start and she had been walking with her sister, Holly. She hadn't seen Andrew since she blew him off for Tom and she wanted to apologize. She felt like she had to explain herself to him even though it was clear that she didn't really have to.

When Charlotte arrived in the Great Hall for dinner, she caught sight of an altercation happening at the front of the hall. Everyone was gathered around and all she could see were all kinds of colors flying all over. She ran up there to see what was going on and her heart fell into her stomach the moment she saw Andrew and Tom in a duel.

"What's going on?" She tried to shout over all the yelling.

"You mean, you don't know?" Charles called out over the screaming.

"No! Why are they fighting?" She demanded.

"They are fighting over you," he explained.

The Gryffindor's all yelled when a curse managed to hit Tom but Charlotte leapt up onto the table to defend him but without thinking, she sent a enchantment from her palms towards Andrew but far enough away from him so that he wouldn't get hurt. Flames leapt from her palms into the air and hit the ceiling, turning it all sorts of colors.

Gasps and whispers could be heard from all over the hall. There were tons of shocked faces but nothing could beat the shocked look on Andrew's face. The only person that wasn't shocked was Tom and Holly, but their reaction bordered along something else.

Fear.


	13. Chapter 13

Charlotte shifted uncomfortably in Dumbledore's burgundy office chair while she waited for him to return. She knew what was getting ready to happen and, quite frankly, she wasn't ready for it. She wasn't ready from the ridicule she would experience from those she thought were her friends, she wasn't ready for the disappointment that would grace her sister's face, and Tom...oh, Tom. She wasn't ready for that goodbye. Not after what had happened that afternoon.

"I warned you to be careful, Miss Lightheart."

Dumbledore closed his office door behind him, louder than she expected, and he quickly swept across the ceramic tile that graced his classroom. She wondered why she wasn't in the Headmaster's office instead of the professor's office but even a thought like that seemed trivial in this situation.

"What does this mean?" Charlotte questioned.

"Nothing you're going to be happy about…" Dumbledore said, holding up a letter that had her name on it.

Charlotte waited for him to begin reading her sentence as she shifted once more in the uncomfortable chair.

"'Miss Lightheart, I have heard of your recent activities on the school grounds and I must say that I am not impressed. As you know, Hogwarts is a school for witchcraft and wizardry only. We cannot cater to students of your special needs. With that being said, you have a choice: you may attend the most prestigious academy for enchantresses in Switzerland or be sent to a camp for the retched. The choice is yours. Good day.'" Dumbledore read out loud.

"How far is the camp for the retched?" Charlotte wondered.

"Miss Lightheart, I don't think I need to stress that the camp is a dangerous place that you would never come out of. You don't have a choice. You're going to the academy," Dumbledore informed.

"Now, wait, the letter says I have a choice!"

"Ah, yes. Your father, however, says that you don't have a choice. There's already a room available for you and a train waiting to take you there,"

"But there has to be something we can do! I can't go to this...academy. All of my friends are here!" Charlotte argued.

"I think that the moment you leave this office...those friends will no longer be who you thought them to be. Everyone has already seen what you can do and the headmaster is right. There is no way we can cater to your special talents. I tried my best, Charlotte,"

It was the first time he had ever used her first name. He said it so sadly that it jerked the tears she had been holding back. She cried in his office for a couple of minutes before realizing that she had some packing to do.

"We will miss you...Miss Lightheart,"

Charlotte nodded and gave him an apologetic smile filled with tears. She had to say goodbye.

There was no way around this.

-XOX-

Charlotte sat on the floor in front of her old bed and watched as her trunk packed itself. She knew when it happened that she would be kicked out. No matter how many times she or Professor Dumbledore pleaded with the headmaster, his mind had been made up.

It wasn't enough that she was being relocated to a school in Switzerland; the salacious gossip had begun to spread and the whispers behind her from all the girls in her dorm were sitting on her nerves. Somehow, the gossip and relocation weren't the worst part. The look on Andrew's face made her stomach do backflips. Dumbledore had been right; her friends would no longer be who she thought they were.

He was betrayed, hurt, and upset at everything that managed to manifest during the last school year. She couldn't have apologized to him enough for the pain that she was causing and he wouldn't have listened. He had every right not to listen to what she had to say. She broke his heart and then stomped on the pieces with the lies she told afterwards.

She was pulled from her thoughts by the loud click of her trunk shutting. All the girls watched her as she threw her coat over her shoulders and waved her hand to have it lifted and carried down the stairs for her. She looked at her bed longingly and tried to focus on the main picture.

She'll be locked in a ward with others like her forever. What a pleasing thought. In her mind, it was worse than the camp for the retched.

She took one look at the girls behind her and wish she hadn't. It was going to be a sight that haunted her forever. The snickers, the stares that told her she was unwelcome in that place, and the whispers about how much of a freak she was. She had expected this much.

"Are you ready to go?" Holly, her sister, asked as she came in the room.

"I have to be," Charlotte answered, smiling sadly at her sister.

She threw her green coat over her shoulders and straightened out her white dress. She couldn't look at the girls again that had once been so kind and understanding towards her. She just stared at her black Mary-Jane's as she followed her sister down the stairs. That's where she saw everyone in the common room. They watched her descend the stairs and she saw Andrew get up from his seat to run up the stairs toward his dormitory but he stopped to lean against the wall. Her heart broke in a thousand pieces while she watched him.

"I'm sorry I never told anyone…" she announced hoarsely, "but I was afraid you all might react the way that you're reacting now. I was afraid that I would be unwelcome and ridiculed for being different. I guess it was going to happen no matter what I did. I'm sorry to all of you who used to trust me. Maybe one day...you can forgive me," Charlotte turned and said that last bit to Andrew who was leaning against the cold brick entrance at the top of the stairs.

He wasn't watching her but he was listening. That was more than she could have ever asked for.

"I'll really need your forgiveness one day," she said through a choked sob.

She swished her hand towards her trunk and hurried out of the common room that she had once known so well. Her sister had to practically run to keep up with her. When they got to the train station in complete silence, Holly noticed that Charlotte was letting her tears fall silently without even trying to talk to her about it.

"You know I'm not mad at you, right?" Holly questioned, grabbing her sister by the hand.

"I had hoped you weren't but I couldn't be sure. I'm sure I just made your school years difficult...I didn't even think before I acted," Charlotte scolded herself.

"Well, I'm not mad. I'm sad. You were my only refuge here...and now that it could possibly be worse, who am I going to have to talk to about it? Who knows when I'll see you again?" Holly said through her tears.

"I will see you again! Father wouldn't keep us separated for much longer than needed."

"Then why are you crying?" Holly asked.

"Because…" Charlotte silently began to sob and then started looking around the train station.

"I thought he would have been here to say goodbye," she broke down and started weeping.

Holly didn't know who she was talking about but she assumed that it must have been Tom she was referring to. She was right.

He wasn't there.

-XOX-

_In Present Day…_

Harry lay wide awake in Charlotte's living room next to Hermione and Ron. She had conjured large, fluffy, pillow-like bed for the three of them and even though his body was fighting for the sleep he desperately desired, his mind was racing a thousand miles a minute. He couldn't understand why Dumbledore believed that this woman could help them. So far, from the stories that she's told, she sounded like a woman who was looking to get revenge from a heartache.

"Somehow, I imagined that you would still be awake," Hermione whispered, turning her head on the pillow to look at him.

Charlotte had tried everything to make them feel comfortable and safe during their stay. She had informed them that she no longer slept and that she would make sure they were safe. She conjured a starry night sky on the ceiling of her house, supplied a soft piano tune, made the beds as plush as possible, and even provided warm milk to soothe them. Although, after all they had been through, they never truly felt safe anywhere. Especially with a scorned lover of Tom Riddle.

"How could I sleep? We're no closer to those horcruxes and now we're in a rut for a couple of days to find out what she could help us with," Harry whispered.

"I trust her," Hermione said, propping herself up on her side.

"Why do you trust her?" Harry questioned.

"She's genuine. She took us in, spent her time making us comfortable and she's tried her best to make us feel safe again. These are not the actions of an enemy," Hermione answered, giving him a half smile.

"I just...I don't know anymore. I used to be able to trust people but now…"

"I would trust her. She's an enchantress. If she wanted us dead then we would already be dead," Hermione said, leaning to pat Harry on the arm gently and then rolling back over.

The fact that Hermione put her faith in Charlotte did calm Harry down but it didn't solve this deep feeling that something was going to happen. His eyes started to close while that feeling drifted away.

Charlotte sat outside of the door leading to them. She moved her hand in circular motions to keep stirring her already tepid tea and sighed heavily at their words. She wanted to be trusted and she could understand how the story progression was leading them to feel otherwise. The worst part was that the story would become worse. The part that they needed to know had not yet been revealed.

She knew that she needed to protect them and that they were in the best place they could be. Tom, her Tom, would have never feared her powers. Lord Voldemort, as he calls himself now, is terrified of everything she can do.

They were going to find out why.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: So, I'm trying to update more frequently because now that I'm well again, I've graduated from college, and I've finally settled in my new house...I can do this :) I'm really thankful for all of the messages and for those that haven't given up on this story. I've certainly got a lot of plans for Bar Elate as far as sequels go. **

**So...STAY TUNED! **

**Riverson **

Tom had been trying to locate Charlotte for the past two weeks. He had missed her train and he couldn't believe that she had left without saying goodbye. Especially after everything she risked in order to keep him from getting hurt. He couldn't ask her "friends" because they had it out for him and they didn't really know. She was the center of their gossip but all the allegations never pointed to anything substantial. She was still difficult to pinpoint.

"Where the hell is she!" He shouted in his room, throwing a book at the cobblestone wall.

All of the boys that stood around the desk didn't dare flinch but one spoke up.

"We are trying, sir. However, there are some stipulations as to-"

"That's all we have are stipulations! I need facts, Jeffries!" Tom shouted, throwing another book but this time it was at their heads.

At that moment, someone stormed through the doors with a brilliant blonde attached to his arm. Tom immediately recognized her as Charlotte's youngest sister. Her red platforms clicked against the marble floor and her Gryffindor skirt moved when she walked.

"Unless you can tell me how to find your sister I don't want to speak to anyone of house difference," he said, holding up his hand in irritation.

She let go of the escorts arm and walked through the crowd of Slytherin boys who devoured her with their stares. The Lightheart genes had done their daughters well and Holly was growing into hers.

"I'm surprised you didn't come to me first," Holly said, placing her hands on the emerald covered oak desk.

"Would you have spoken to me?"

"Probably not but I would have eventually come to you. I miss my sister too, you know," Holly said.

Tom looked around at the stares she was receiving and he decided to put a stop to that. He clapped for their attention and ushered them out with one hand movement. He could see her relax a bit but she was still pretty tense.

"This is quite the operation you're running here," she smirked.

"Where is she, Holly?"

"Why are you so interested in finding her? You didn't show too much interest in her until she decided to forsake everything she had for you," she wondered.

"It was never my intention. I'm not used to this," he defended.

"Used to what?"

"Feeling things. I've never been one for romance. I'm not someone you go on a romantic dinner with or go to a picture with. I don't do what she expects," he says, walking towards the fireplace.

"Then why are you looking for her?"

"I need her," he whispered.

The room was quiet except for the crackling of the logs on the fire. He just stared and admired the flames that reminded him of her soul. It was something that he couldn't live without. Her burn melted his ice and it was a brilliant feeling. That day under the staircase was the day he could feel the burn, feel the animosity and love that they had for one another. It was a moment where kissing wasn't enough. They needed each other in that moment and he had her.

"Riverson," Holly answered.

"What?" Tom asked, looking back.

"Riverson Enchantment Academy for Adolescents. It's in Switzerland and she'll be there for three more years before being pushed into the Academy for the Adults. That's when she stops ageing,"

"She'll stop ageing?" Tom wonders.

"All enchanters stop at the age of 25. Old enough to know better and young enough to populate, they say. I'll owl you the address," Holly said, turning to walk out the door.

He had to get her out of there. How was he going to do it?

-XOX-

Charlotte stared out the window at the brilliant scenery. The only thing she enjoyed about this place was the landscape and nature of it all. It wasn't a place in the world that you could easily find. You wouldn't be able to stumble upon it. It was something you had to search for.

The skies glowed a brilliant pink as the sun began to set over the snowcapped mountains in the distance. The mix of purple, blue, pink, and orange mesmerized her every night but it also saddened her. There were a few people that she wished she could see this with her. She just had to settle for the girls in her cabin.

"Don't forget that we have candlelight training tonight!" Beth, one of her roommates, reminded before closing the door softly.

Charlotte smiled at her reflection in the window but she didn't even believe her fake happiness. Although, everyone that she encountered had been completely warm and friendly towards her since the moment she stepped through the gates. Her beauty matched everyone else's and her powers weren't abnormal anymore. Of course, there were a lot of adjustments.

"You appear to be even more down than usual," her new owl, Hootie, said to her.

The fact that her owl could talk to her was a new adjustment that she was having a little trouble wrapping her head around. Sometimes it was nice to talk to someone that she trusted. Why not trust her owl?

"I'm not trying to be," Charlotte said with a sigh.

"Are you thinking about him again?" Hootie wondered.

By him, he meant Tom. She had told Hootie everything about him and that she was completely in love with me. She just didn't know how he felt anymore. He missed her train, he didn't say goodbye, and he hadn't tried to contact her since the incident. She felt used and she hates that feeling.

"I'm not trying to," Charlotte answered, taking her long and curly mane in her hands to put it up.

"I'm sure he still loves you, you know,"

"It wouldn't matter if he did. I'll be here the rest of my life. I'm trapped behind imaginary walls with no friends, no lover, and no morals," Charlotte answered, leaning forward to set her forehead on the cold glass.

The only way that she would be able to see him again was if something major happened that required the attendance of enchanters from this school. Charlotte didn't see that happening. She saw her life when she left the academy and Tom will have already moved on to a new victim with a new life.

"You can't think that way," the owl tried to comfort her but it was no use.

"I'll just point my nose in the air and behave like a proper young enchantress for once. My life is over," Charlotte responded, giving the owl a soft kiss on the head and leaving the room.

He wished he could deliver a message to Tom but he would have been obliterated for even trying.

It was true about never being able to leave unless it was a dire emergency.

-XOX-

Tom was pacing before the fireplace as he processed the words that had once echoed against the walls. He couldn't believe that someone even thought of it but he was more disappointed that he hadn't thought of it first.

"What do you think?" Holly wondered.

"I think it's...dangerous but attainable," Tom said, stopping to gaze into the flames.

"It would involve a lot of people and the moment you open it would cause the need to be quick. I read in my father's old book that there is a vile full of this potion made by Merlin himself to make an enchantress very powerful...if she was to drink this maybe they would find her too advanced for her studies...or it could make her strong enough to break out of the academy all together," Holly informed.

"Are you sure it's in there?" Tom asked, turning to stare at the brilliant blonde who was fidgeting with the seat cushion.

"I'm positive," she said, reassuring him.

He had done more things that didn't make him a saint but at this point, he just wanted her back. He didn't care what he had to do and he didn't care what it caused other people. For someone that had been considered so emotionless and unfeeling, he sure wanted to get her back more than anything else.

Tom only had one question, "How do I open the chamber?"


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: Hey guys! Long time no read, eh? So, I'm back! I'm graduated, I've got a job, and I'm steady so you can look for more updates as well as some new stories. _

_UPDATE: Please participate in the poll on my page and tell me which story that YOU want to see updated next. Now that I'm a little bit more ahead in this story, Bar Elate 2 could get updated but ONLY if you vote for it ;) _

_Now, ON WITH THE SHOW!_

**The Vial Of Dark Enchantments**

"I don't understand how it was opened," the Headmaster whispered, astonished.

Dumbledore sat quietly next to Minerva McGonagall and other professors. They couldn't believe what they were told but it was the truth. The chamber of secrets had been opened. The chamber was full of things, some big and some small, but someone had found it. The problem was that they didn't know who.

"There's been no proof that anyone was out of their beds last night. The paintings didn't see anyone," Filch told the group.

"There are windows, Mr. Filch," Dumbledore said, not daring to look over at the groundskeeper.

"Was anything stolen?" McGonagall inquired.

There was a long pause within the group but the headmaster just shook his head. McGonagall breathed a sigh of relief and stood up from her seat.

"If I may say so, headmaster, I would like to see security doubled outside the castle," McGonagall stated.

"We are working on it. For the moment, I would like for everyone to keep their eyes open as well as their ears. We need to find the one that opened it," he instructed, dismissing all faculty except for one.

"Professor Dumbledore, can I have a moment?"

Dumbledore nodded and remained standing in front of the desk. When the door clicked shut, the headmaster stood up and an instant panic graced his facial features.

"There was something taken from the chamber," he said quickly, beginning to pace.

"You assured everyone else that there wasn't!"

"I just didn't want to raise panic amongst the faculty. If they panic then the students panic. We can't panic!" The headmaster picked up his pacing.

"Sir, please calm down. What is it that they took?" Dumbledore tried to reason.

The headmaster just looked around the room as if someone was listening to them. Once he was satisfied that there were no eavesdroppers. His paranoia was getting the best of him.

"There is this vial that was in the chamber. It was something given to us by Charlotte Lightheart's father. He had found it on one of his many treks through the french alps. It's full of this serum created to strengthen any enchantress that is injected with it," the headmaster explained.

"That is all?" Dumbledore wondered.

"No. If injected with too little then the enchantress may grow weaker until they eventually die but if given too much then they will have a power that is greater than any wizard or enchantress known to man. They will be almost evil,"

The room became eerily quiet again while they pondered what it could mean if a serum like this was found by any old riff raff that could have opened the chamber.

"We must alert Riverson with the news. Whoever broke into the chamber knew too much about the vial. If it had been any kind of thief it would have taken more than the vial...but someone knows too much," Dumbledore informed the headmaster.

The headmaster was too out of sorts to deal with his own surroundings so Dumbledore took up the notion to write the letters to the administration at Riverson. It might just take some extra investigation on the property by their top enchantresses.

-XOX-

Charlotte sat on the edge of a smooth boulder as she peered down into the lavender pool that everyone else seemed to be enjoying but herself. Everyone had tried to get her to come in but she refused every offer politely. She was fascinated with her reflection in the water. It wasn't because she had narcissist tendencies but she couldn't recognize the girl staring back at her. Since having been at that school her eyes had become a bright lavender color that seemed to match everyone else's that she met. Her long hair kept it's untamed curl but it was longer and a much lighter brown than she expected. Her skin was the same tan that she always came back from vacation with but much softer. She felt more power than she had ever felt before and it made her tingle with anticipation.

"You seem to be adjusting quite nicely," Helena, one of her classmates commented.

"I just seem to look like everyone else," Charlotte sighed, setting her chin atop her knees that she had brought into herself.

"You only have the same eye color as everyone else. That's how we know your level of strength when it comes to your powers. The brighter the eyes, the stronger the body," she said with a smile.

"I'm just not sure how to be comfortable here...I tried for so long to be half of a witch and it turns out that I'm a full enchantress. How can you get used to this?" Charlotte motioned to everything around her.

Everything around her seemed to be much more fairytale-esque than she had ever seen before. The water was a different color but it always complemented the sunset tones of the sky around her. The lagoons were surrounded by multiple species of beautiful flowers that any herbologist would have a field day studying. The moon was full every night and that seemed to be when most of the girls wanted to go swimming. Charlotte could recall countless moments when she would look out her dorm window and see girls horsing around with each other in the lavender pools. The sky was always a brilliant color that ranged from twilight to midnight.

"Do you know why we keep trying to get you to get in the water?"

"I can't say anyone has ever explained it to me," Charlotte answered.

"It strengthens your powers. It provides immunity for days and has healing like nothing else. It's an enchanted pool that preserves you. The moment you hit the water, every tingling sensation you could ever imagine hits you like a ton of bricks. It's better than a kiss from someone you love and definitely more liberating than a plain bubble bath. I highly suggest it," Helena said, giving Charlotte a light pat on the back before sliding off the boulder into the pool.

Charlotte did want to be a part of it but she wasn't sure about what it would do to her. Whether she wanted to embrace it or not, she was half enchantress and half witch. The powers combined already made her more powerful than anyone in the pool. Did she really want it to be strengthened?

She glanced around to see if anyone was watching her before she casually dipped her toes in. The tingling sensation made her giggle as she dipped her feet in before completely embracing the pool surrounding her. It was invigorating more than anything and it made her feel completely alive.

She emerged from the pool refreshed and peered around at all of her schoolmates. They understood her feelings but they were all too engrossed in their own. That was when she saw it. Behind everyone's frivolities sat a black pool that appeared to have been deserted. Helena had walked over to Charlotte and realized that she was staring.

"No one can go there," Helena warned.

"What is it?"

"A lagoon filled with the most evil magic there is,"

Charlotte had never seen the pool until today but she wondered why such a pool existed. Did everyone know to just stay away from it? What could it do? She wanted the answers to her questions but before she could get them out, Helena had already disappeared with a group of girls towards the castle. She might would have to file them away for a later day but her eyes never left the black lagoon. It was as if it called out to her, seeking her powers, but having never known about it before kept her at bay.

"Maybe she'll tell the dark magic story tonight after dinner," Naomi, another roommate, interjected.

"Why can't you tell me?" Charlotte wondered.

"I'm still learning about it myself. I just know that no one should ever touch it. There's been stories of enchantresses falling off the deep end and never returning. Some can go completely evil and destruct in new ways that none can imagine. You'll hear it. Let's go eat," she said, tugging on Charlotte gently.

The two walked toward the banquet hall but Charlotte kept stealing glances at the mysterious lagoon. Whatever story there was to tell, she definitely wanted to hear it.

-xox-

"Don't you think pinning the blame on him was a going a little too far?" Holly questioned Tom as they stood around in the Slytherin common room.

"He's so stupid that no one will miss him," Tom commented, giving her a daring glance to challenge him any farther.

However, she's kin to Charlotte so there was no stopping the argument.

"Poor Hagrid. You know they've expelled him for it, don't you?" Holly argued.

"Name one instance where it looks like I've cared in the past ten minutes of talking about that stupid giant!" Tom shouted, caressing the vial that he had tucked away in his pocket.

Holly had noticed more edge in Tom's voice than she was used to and he seemed to have aged a bit in the past few weeks. He was either hell bent on finding and bringing back her sister or he had other plans. With Tom you never knew.

"How was stealing the vial going to find my sister?"

"They've already alerted Riverson that a vial of their most precious serum is missing. For some reason they believed it to be safe in the Chamber of Secrets but it's just another one of their mistakes. Have you done the research you were supposed to be doing on this serum?"

"Yes," she paused before pulling out a piece of parchment, "the serum is a tool used for evil. There is a lagoon near the school where more vials of the serum can be found. It is believed that once an enchantress enter the pool, she could either die or become the most evil being there ever has been. A small dose could give small bouts of evil tendencies whereas a large dose can possibly kill the enchantor trying to use it. If found, return to where it was found for it may be the most dangerous weapon in the wrong hands."

"Interesting," Tom whispered, staring at the black vial in wonder.

"Are you planning to use that on my sister?" Holly wondered.

"No!" he lied.

"I just thought I'd ask. What was your plan then?"

His real plan he wasn't sure of but he knew that he was never going to return the vial. It was of too much use. Part of the plan was already working.

"Now that they've learned the vial is missing they will insist on coming to help find it. The school isn't very big so they will corral all of the enchantors to come and stay with us while they search. Then we have Charlotte in the same place. They'll never find the vial but they'll never stop until they do. Then they'll have to stay here because it won't be safe enough to return to Riverson," Tom enlightened Holly.

Holly just grinned ear to ear which let Tom know that he had fooled her into thinking it was the perfect plan. He wanted Charlotte around him again. He wanted to hold her, kiss her, and make love to her over and over again. He wouldn't rest until he did.

He wouldn't rest until he knew that she would agree to be just as evil as, if not more than, he was.


End file.
